


A Bird Still Flies in a Gentle Rain

by Amaryllis_Namikaze



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Female!Kuroko, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Overprotective!MiraGen, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-15 14:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 27,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2231682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaryllis_Namikaze/pseuds/Amaryllis_Namikaze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the first child came to the world, he cried as if demonstrating his vivacity. He was held by one of the medics and did not stop until his twin sister was put beside him. Even then, there was no doubt: Seijūro and Tetsuhi took a deep breath at the same time and started living.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains: Overprotective!MiraGen, Female!Kuroko, Akashi!Kuroko and KiseFem!Kuroko

**Prologue**

* * *

 

“The song of midnight cried out  
And from that day on, I’ve truly…

After the twilight turned a translucent red  
The stars lay in the sky and played their twinkling sounds  
Without even being told to be more open  
Already my tears brought my feelings along  
And became a small sea at my feet

The song of midnight cried out  
I truly hate being alone more than anything  
And from that day on, I learnt the hard way what was important

Ah, all I need is being able to scoop up happiness with a tiny spoon  
As long as I have someone to share it with.”  
[…]  
 _\- Mayonaka no Orchestra (Translation), Aqua Timez_

* * *

 

When the first child came, he cried as if demonstrating his vivacity. He was held by one of the medics and did not stop until his twin sister was put beside him. Even then, there was no doubt: the Akashi twins took a breath at the same time and started living.

They had nothing and everything in common.

Seijūro was the older one. His creamy skin was very much like his sister’s and they shared the same face’s shape. A tuft of red hair sat atop of his head while he slept in the hospital. Next, there was Tetsuhi. She was slightly smaller and had tiny hands curled into fists. Her hair appeared to be less because of its light color – powder-blue. From the very moment they were taken home, Seijūro and Tetsuhi were together. The former was a quiet baby and the latter, an energetic one. When they were old enough to play with their toys – together and sharing, of course – the red-haired was always the one to take care of his cheerful sister, simply because she never stopped to take a nap and rest.

Their father, Akashi Seitarō, was a busy man as he had an entire company under his command. The twins didn’t let it affect them too much, becoming used to seeing their father only at night or just feeling him briefly kissing their forehead when tucking them in bed.

Their mother, Akashi nee Kuroko Ayūmi, was a sweet and caring lady. She was the one who taught them how to read and write, and was always free to play with her children. Ayūmi was kind to everyone – the twins, her husband, the maids and butlers, even the fishes the family once had.

Tetsuhi and Seijūro were five when she died from severe pneumonia.

The younger sibling had cried for weeks and the only one who managed to calm Tetsuhi down was Seijūro. Not that the red-haired boy wasn’t feeling sad – he was. Extremely so. But his once cheerful sister suddenly couldn’t stop sobbing and having nightmares about their mother’s final moments in the hospital.

Seitarō had no idea of what to do and became even more distant. Not to say that he didn’t love his children with all his heart – he, of course, did. But Ayūmi had been much better at parenting than him. The chief-maid, Rin, started to look after the twins during the day while he was working.

Suddenly, Tetsuhi went from energetic to quiet. Her blue eyes – so much like her mother’s – were too big on her face while she cried and Seijūro couldn’t bear this new personality of his sister. She was supposed to be the light, the sun. He was older and more responsible – the reasonable kid, full of abilities and charisma – while she had been the one to bright his day. Tetsuhi became a silent shadow, fading to the back. She could make her presence so weak that even their father had trouble finding her when she didn’t want to be found. As usual, her twin was the only one who could accomplish that.

During their elementary schools days, the Akashi twins weren’t seen apart once. They liked to walk holding hands and talk peacefully. They could complete each other phrases and understand what the other was feeling with one look. They improved their skills and acquired new ones together.

As time went by, Tetsuhi stopped having her eyes full of tears and her nights full of bad dreams. Seijūro started to grow taller than her by their eighth birthday whereas until then they had the same height. As they became pre-teens, the twins could be mistaken for older and younger sibling. The heterochromatic-eyed boy had wider shoulders and longer legs, while the teal-haired girl had tiny fingers and waist-length hair that only appeared to make her look shorter.

They stopped taking baths together – not because they were embarrassed about seeing the other, but simply because Takahiro, their butler, had deemed them too old for this. Seijūro and Tetsuhi tried to ignore, but the old man was adamant about breaking this habit - though not even Takahiro could stop them from sharing the same room.

When the time to enter a middle school came, they both decided to go to Teiko Middle School. Most would think that it was because of the curriculum or its sports distinction – but they’d be wrong. The Akashi twins went there because it was near their home. People tended to assume that they were scary and/or manipulative. Actually – well – they were right… They both were owners of brilliant minds. But not everything was done with cruel intentions.

Being so, the twins were more than ready for the start of their middle school life.

Seijūro knew with no doubt that he’d be walking with his sister to their school while holding her hand. Some would think of it as weird, but since when did either of them care about it? And Tetsuhi knew with no doubt that her brother would be beside her, calling her his “Tetsu-hime” and playing her hair as he always did. In fact, the small girl never made a ponytail herself, Seijūro always made it for her.

It was a sweet side of him that nobody could see. Only her.

The same could be said about Tetsuhi’s smiles. Only Seijūro saw them.

And, really, they were happy like this – merely breathing together was enough.


	2. Class 1-B

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the start of a new year and the Akashi twins are ready to being their middle school years. There's only one problem...

**Chapter 1: Class 1-B**

* * *

 

**“N** e, Seijūro-nii, do you think we are going to have friends this time?”

            Tetsuhi was a quiet girl – not shy, she just chose to let her brother speak instead of her. As said twins walked down the street toward their middle school, both were holding each other’s hand.

            Seijūro smiled softly at his sister.

            “As long as you’re happy, Tetsu-hime,” was his response.

            Tetsuhi grew up listening to this answer. Seijūro was a kind older twin, always protecting her from mean bullies that liked to take advantage of her short stature and fragile appearance. His red eyes never look at her angrily or accusingly, and his hand is always there to take hers.

            The shorter and younger twin was also quieter than her red-haired brother, staying slightly behind him and letting him do the talking. She was used to being overlooked as her weak presence surrounded her tiny body. Even though Tetsuhi had huge baby-blue eyes and waist-length powder-blue hair that should be enough for one to be noticed, she could disappear and leave no traces.

            They were still twelve and would only be thirteen by the end of their school year, but the Akashi twins doubtlessly were one of the smartest people in their newest school: Teiko Middle School. It was a big building with lots of classrooms and totally dedicated to exceeding in everything it offered, be it practical or intellectual.

            Growing up in household that had the motto “excellency in all areas” drilled into their head, the twins were sure that they would breeze through this school.

            The little things didn’t know who they were just about to meet.

* * *

 

            The opening ceremony was boring, but Tetsuhi expected nothing less. The principal, Fukuzawa Yukichi, kept repeating “winning is everything” and “Teikou only accepts the very best”, and synonyms. While the bluenette agreed that winning _was_ important, she didn’t think that losing was necessarily bad. You could have fun while losing too.

            Seijūro was listening to the principal, but half-heartedly. When the man finally stopped talking, wishing good look and a good year for all of them, was when the boy finally spoke his opinion.

            “This man is a fool.”

            And Tetsuhi couldn’t agree more.

            Seijūro tugged their intertwined hands, “Let’s go see which classroom is ours.”

             There was a board outside the auditorium they were sitting and was full of curious students. Tetsuhi could see friends greeting each other, some happy for being in the same class, some sad for being separated. She saw a giant purple-haired boy walking towards the main building, following the mass of students.

            _He is really tall_ , she though distractedly. Suddenly, Seijūro stopped in his tracks and, ever in tune with her twin, Tetsuhi didn’t hesitate to do the same even while not paying attention.

            “What happened, Onii-san?” She asked, sure that this wasn’t his normal behavior.

            He pointed to some _kanjis_ written on a paper hanging on the board.

            _Akashi Seijūro_ said the small characters. And the small girl immediately noticed what was wrong. Her name wasn’t right under his. _Akashi Tetsuhi_ was written in another square, indicating that she was in Class 1-B. The name _Aomine Daiki_ was under hers and the name _Akatsuka Chihiro_ above hers, but there was no _Akashi_ in her class. Except for her, that is.

            She had never been separated from her brother before.

They had been in the same class during all their elementary years and had expected it to be the same during their middle ones. They had assumed that most schools would just let twins stay together since it was the obvious thing to do. They hadn’t planned their days separated. They did everything together. They did, they do, they will – it had always been this way. Never he and she, but _they._

“Sei-nii,” she murmured, suddenly feeling cold. Ever since the death of their mother, Seijūro had been her pillar of strength. When standing beside him, Tetsuhi felt as if everything was going to be alright. How was she going to manage without him?

He let his hands fall over her shoulders and, for a moment, Tetsuhi felt as if the weight of the world was also there. His red eyes were serious and his lips, in a thin line.

“We’ll try to change it later, alright? If we don’t go now, we’re going to be late. You’ll be fine, Tetsuhi.”

Said girl couldn’t even remember the last time her brother had called her Tetsuhi instead of hime. She nodded with eyes full of unshed tears and followed him to the main building. She could, though, remember the last time she cried.

* * *

 

            Class 1-B was cold.

            Not in the literal sense of the word, since Tokyo was warm around this time of the year, but metaphorically speaking. There were pre-teens and teens chatting excitedly while waiting for their teacher. But there was no Akashi Seijūro.

            Its class teacher was called Amagawa Suzuki. She appeared to be kind, but Tetsuhi couldn’t bring herself to cheer up at this fact. She was sitting in the first table right on the front, because Suzuki-sensei asked her students to sit accordingly to their height. Tetsuhi was the shortest one, being only a-hundred and forty-nine centimeters (4’11”).

            “Well, students, I’m your homeroom teacher for the rest of this year, so let us get along, ne?” She smiled, receiving some grins in return.

            Tetsuhi kept quiet during most classes in the morning, answering when the teachers called her name and were surprised to see her right in front of them. Her classmates were also surprised, even though she hadn’t moved out of her chair the start of classes.

            When the bell rang, signalizing the lunch break, Tetsuhi got up from her chair and took her bento out of her bag. A girl stopped in front of her. She had pink hair and eyes, and was smiling. Since she sat two tables behind Tetsuhi, said girl knew that the pinkette was taller even while sitting.

            “Hi! I wanted to introduce myself to you but the teachers never give us a break,” the girl pouted and her short hair danced with her. “I’m Momoi Satsuki, let’s be friends!”

            Tetsuhi wasn’t shy. She had no qualms about talking to strangers or speaking in front of people. But she was at loss of what to do. When she asked her brother earlier this day if they were going to make friends, she had planned on letting him talk. Seijūro was better at socializing than her.

            _But Seii-nii isn’t here, is he?_ , an annoying voice appeared to whisper in her mind. Tetsuhi inwardly sighed. That’s right, he was not.

            A dark-skinned boy was passing beside Momoi when said pink-haired girl grasped his hand.

            “Oow, whatta hell Satsuki!” The boy complained. Apparently, the slightly taller girl was strong.

            “Dai-chan, don’t be mean. I’m talking to our new friend,” the pinkette reprehended.

            _Dai-chan_ was tall – at least twenty centimeters taller than Tetsuhi – and had dark blue hair. It was difficult to think of him as _chan._

He sighed.

            “My name is Aomine Daiki. Nice to meet you.”

            The small girl took his hand, “I’m Akashi Tetsuhi, and it’s nice to meet you too.”

            “Want to lunch with us? We’re going to buy something to eat,” the boy pointed over his shoulder to the corridor.

            Tetsuhi shook her head.

            “I’m sorry, I’m going to eat with my brother.”

            “Oh, you have a brother?” Momoi whined. “I wanted to have one too, but I am an only child. It’s so boring. The only one I have near my house is Dai-chan, but he’s kinda stupid.”

            “Hey!” Said boy complained, but not whole-heartedly. It was as if he was already used to be called so.

            Momoi grasped Tetsuhi’s tinier hand.

            “Let’s go call your brother to lunch with us too. Which class is senpai’s?”

            Tetsuhi shook her head once again, making blue-haired curls fly everywhere, “He’s my twin and he’s in class 1-A.”

            Momoi’s pink eyes were sparking.

            “ _Sugoiii_ , we have a couple of twins in our year, Dai-chan, isn’t it cool?”

            “Yeah, yeah,” the dark-skinned boy agreed, apparently used to his childhood friend quirks.

            They walked toward class 1-A with Momoi doing the talking for them.

            “Ne, Akashi-chan, which club are you going to enter?”

            “I don’t know yet,” she answered. _Probably just the one Sei-nii enters: basketball._ They played the sport since they were kids and both of them were good at it.

            “Dai-chan is going to enter the basketball club and I’ll enter the arts club. I hope it’s fun.”

            Aomine proceed to talk about basketball. There was no doubt that he loved the sport, because he couldn’t stop talking about it until they reached Tetsuhi’s brother’s classroom.

            Seijūro was sitting in the fourth table of his classroom, since he wasn’t small as Tetsuhi. As soon as he saw his sister, he got up from his chair and walked toward her with his bento and a tall boy following him. It was the purple-haired giant that the younger Akashi twin saw earlier today.

            “Hi, Sei-nii-san,” she greeted with a small smile, grasping his hand. “This is Momoi Satsuki and Aomine Daiki. They’re in my class.”

            Seijūro nodded his head toward said people.

            “Nice to meet you – I’m Akashi Seijūro, Tetsuhi’s older twin.”

            The purple-haired boy was eating a pack of marshmallows, not paying attention to them. He was tall enough to look over their heads.

            “Atsushi,” Seijūro called the giant’s attention. “This is my sister, Tetsuhi, the one I was telling you about.”

            “Hi, Hime-chin,” the taller freshman said to the small girl, who blinked owlishly.

            Aomine was scratching his cheek.

            “Are you guys close or what? For him to call you hime and all…” he trailed off.

            Tetsuhi wasn’t the type of girl to blush at this kind of comment, so, she answered naturally, “No, it’s the first time I meet…?”

            “Murasakibara Atsushi,” the tall freshman introduced himself, happily munching his marshmallow.

            “It’s the first time I meet Murasakibara-kun,” the younger twin finished her phrase.

             “So, why…?” Aomine was confused.

            The older Akashi took pity on him – or probably just wanted to eat his lunch – and answered, “I frequently call my sister Tetsu-hime. Atsushi, no doubt, only heard the last part.”

            “I pay attention to you, Aka-chin,” said purple-haired boy, now licking a lollipop bigger than Tetsuhi’s head. Where had it come from?

            The group started to walk toward the cafeteria to eat their lunch. Momoi was squealing while looking at the twins intertwined hands and chatting about whatever came at her mind. Aomine interrupted to continue his babbling about basketball and Murasakibara made his own share of noise munching his snacks.

            Looking at her newest friends – and first ones, since Seijūro was beside her since they were born – Tetsuhi felt as if being in a class separated from her brother’s wasn’t going to be so bad.

            But, even so, it could be just because she was still walking hand-in-hand with Seijūro at the time she thought this.


	3. Seijuro's Light

**Chapter 2: Seijūro’s Light**

* * *

 

            **T** etsuhi was frustrated. She was standing on her tiptoes and trying to reach up with all her might. The small girl pouted, while glaring at her shoes locker. All Japanese schools had shoes lockers, of course. Tetsuhi had put her sneakers inside earlier when arriving – well, Seijūro had – but couldn’t manage to grab them back.

            She pouted once again. Why did she receive the highest locker? There was no one around to help her. Most students had already gone to club activities. Tetsuhi huffed in annoyance with herself – her brother had also gone to the gym, but only because she said it was okay to go first with Aomine-san and Murasakibara-san. She had said that she needed to grab some things first.

            But how could she grab her sneakers when they were too far?

            An arm behind her reached up, easily catching the pair of shoes Tetsuhi could hardly see. She smiled softly, turning around while muttering a kind thank you. It was a boy – around Aomine-san’s height – with dark green hair and wearing glasses. He managed to look serious even while holding a panda plush in his right hand.

            “You’re welcome,” he said, after listening to Tetsuhi speaking.

            “My name is Akashi Tetsuhi. Nice to meet you,” she bowed and proceeded to take her school shoes off.

            “I’m Midorima Shintarō,” he introduced himself in a formal tone.

            When Tetsuhi finished changing shoes and looked up once again, Midorima-san was gone and she was alone. The small girl shrugged, heading to the gym.

* * *

 

            **T** etsuhi found her brother and their newest friends sitting in a corner, observing an already-going game. One team was obviously made only of senpais while the other was somewhat good.

            “What took you so long?” Seijūro asked, giving space for her to sit beside him.

            “I couldn’t reach my locker,” she said, but her brother was the only one who knew her enough to notice the pouty tone in her voice.

            He laughed and so did Aomine. Murasakibara was distractedly watching the match.

            The group stayed in silence. Tetsuhi let her hand fall over her brother’s bigger one and he did nothing to shoo it away. The coach whistled, announcing the end of the game. Many groaned and fell down as soon as they reached the end of the court.

            Seijūro poked her, indicating a man wearing a suit in the sidelines. He was observing the players while taking notes.

            “Do you see this man?”

            “Hm?” was the sound that Tetsuhi made to show that she was paying attention to her brother’s words.

            “He’s called Shirogane Kōzō and is the head coach.”

            She blinked owlishly.

            “Head coach?”

            Seijūro nodded, “That’s right. You weren’t here, but he explained that there are three strings for the players to be placed. Each one has their own coach, but Shirogane-san commands them all.”

            Tetsuhi rocked her head thoughtfully. She looked at her twin and her blue eyes made a question. He shrugged, but smirked at the same time. She let her own lips twist in a small smile.

            All this was lost by the other two freshmen, who were busy watching a new game. The second team was made only of first year, and the only good one was the boy that Tetsuhi met earlier. He was average in all skills, except when he prepared for a three-pointers and completely exceled in this. He kept making three points and, soon enough, the freshman team was tying with the senpais’ one.

            Two games later, Tetsuhi finally heard her name being called by Shirogane-sensei, “Team Five: Akashi Seijūro, Akashi Tetsuhi, Tanaka Jun, Saitō Nobuo and Takeda Osamu. Please, enter the court!”

            Tetsuhi had let her brother put her hair up in a ponytail while waiting for their name to be called, so, she was ready. She got up in sync with her twin and proceeded to enter the court. His answer was echoing inside her head.

            _“Do you think we’re going to make to the first string?”_

His shrug said _“Who knows?”_ but his smirk replied _“There’s no doubt about it”_.

            She smiled briefly and heard the whistle indicate the start of the game.

* * *

 

          **T** etsuhi and Seijūro were, by far, the most impressive players on the court.

          Tanaka Jun and Saitō Nobuo were pitifully horrible – and there was no doubt that they would end up in the third string. Takeda Osamu was as good as the second-stringers they were playing against, which made him somewhat useful. But her twin brother was the one that the small Akashi girl managed to smoothly play with.

          She was the tiniest and fastest player on court. Tetsuhi could also misdirect at will, passing the ball to her brother and letting him score before anyone could notice she wasn’t with the ball anymore. Her brother was slower than her, but more skilled. Tetsuhi and Seijūro knew streetballl, and that was clear in the way they played. They were graceful, and fast, and sly, and simply _too much_ for the other team.

         Being forever in sync with each other was a bonus.

         However, soon enough, Tetsuhi was tired from all the running. She had a fragile body and couldn’t keep up with physically stronger boys. Seijūro kept glancing at her, worried. As soon as the whistled indicated the end of the game, he ran to her side.

       “Breathe, imōto, breathe,” he commanded softly. He petted her head with his red eyes smiling.

        Both Akashi children were sitting in a corner of the gym, waiting for the results of the matches. Tetsuhi had been carried there by her brother, while the twins professionally ignored the looks sent their way.

        Tetsuhi was ending her bottle of water when Aomise came closer followed by Murasakibara.

        “That’s was freaking amazing!” He praised with a giant smile. “I learnt basketball in the street courts too, and couldn’t believe it!”

         Murasakibara stopped eating for a brief moment to say, “It was cool, Aka-chin, Hime-chin.” Somehow, his smaller praise held more meaning than Aomine’s, simply because the tallest freshman had stopped his munching on his snacks just to comment on it.

          Seijūro thanked their friends since his sister was too tired to even breathe properly.

         “Ne, Akashi-chan, are you feeling fine?” Aomine asked, crunching down in front of her. Seijūro glared at the dark-skinned boy, who went farther away.

         “Yes, I am. Thank you for asking, Aomine-kun,” said girl bowed. Tetsuhi let her head fall on her brother’s shoulders, who petted it once again.

          Shirogane-sensei finally emerged from a door after a few minutes of waiting. The other three coaches were standing behind him.

         “When I call your number and name, you go with your coach. Third string: number two, Tanaka Jun…”

          Tetsuhi stood up with her twin’s help and came closer to the crowd of anxious people. She wasn’t feeling particularly anxious – the small girl was too tired to feel anything except exhaustion – but was listening to the head coach’s words attentively.

         “Second string: number thirty-one, Takeda Osamu…”

          Aomine poked her side, smiling.

         “Ne, Akashi-chan, do you think we’re going to be first-stringers?”

         A senpai snorted beside them, and Tetsuhi couldn’t help noticing that he was one of the second-stringer they had just played against.

         “Don’t be so cocky, newbie. No freshman has ever been a first-stringer.”

          Aomine glared at the equally tall senpai. Seijūro just smirked and Tetsuhi kept her face blank. The only sound came from Murasakibara, who was eating chips.

         Shirogane-sensei was just finishing, “And that’s it for the second-string. Now, for the first-string: number eight, Aomine Daiki; number eleven, Midorima Shintarō–“

         “What were you saying, senpai?” The older Akashi twin asked the now-sweating boy at the same time that Shirogane-sensei continued, “– number twenty-three, Murasakibara Atsushi; number twenty-nine, Akashi Seijūro and number thirty-nine, Akashi Tetsuhi. That’s all.”

        Murmurs soon were flying across the gym.

       “Eh?”

           “Freshmen in the first string?”

         “What the hell just happened?”

         “A girl is in the first string?”

          Tetsuhi didn’t let the girl comment annoy her – she was used to it. Seijūro, however, was another story.

         “Got a problem with my sister, senpai?” He growled at a black-haired boy with slanty eyes.

          Said teen covered back, even though Seijūro was at least ten centimeters shorter. Well, his red eyes sure were scary.

          “N-no,” the black-haired senpai – who valued his life, after all – muttered in response.

          “That’s what I thought,” Seijūro smirked. He turned back to his sister and, hand in hand, they left the gym.

           Ah, such a funny afternoon in the club~

* * *

 

 **I** t was already night when the Akashi twins walked back home. Seijūro was carrying Tetsuhi – who was licking a vanilla ice-cream happily – on his back. After the club activity, they went to an ice-cream parlor with Murasakibara-kun. Aomine-kun stayed back, saying that he had to find Momoi-san.

           But after Murasakibara went home, the twins were finally alone.

           “Ne, Onii-san, I like having friends,” Tetsuhi commented, stopping her delicious treat for a moment.

           He turned his head to the right, just enough for her to see his amused eyes.

           “You do, hm?”

            “Hai~” Tetsuhi giggled. Her hair powder-blue was up in ponytail and she could still feel her brother’s hand making it.

            Seijūro smiled, but Tetsuhi couldn’t see it anymore.

            “I’m grateful then.”

            Tetsuhi finished her ice-cream and let her head fall on her brother’s red one. Her ponytail swayed in the breeze, mixing her hair with her twin.

            “Onii-san?”

            “Hm?”

             Tetsuhi closed her eyes.

             “It’s nothing.”

             Seijūro stopped walking, but still let his younger sister piggy-back ride him.

            “What is it, Hime?”

            Tetsuhi’s response was muffled by shouts. A blond boy around their age was running in their direction, followed a mob of hysteric girls. The Akashi twins did not see much of him, since he ran too fast past them and the crowd of fangirls almost trampled over them.

            “What was that?” Tetsuhi questioned curiously. She was sure she had seen this boy’s face somewhere. Oh, well, it wasn’t important.

            Seijūro hummed in thought, “I think it was this new teen model… though I cannot remember his name. He ran too quickly, I couldn’t see his features clearly, however.”

            “This isn’t of importance, Seijūro-nii,” Tetsuhi decided and his brother agreed with her.

            She breathed against his neck after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

            “Onii-san?” She started once again.

            Seijūro nodded to show he was paying attention.

            The small girl smiled softly and older twin felt it against his nape, “I’m happy.”

            The redhead couldn’t ask for more – his sister hadn’t smiled so much since their mother death.

            He smiled back.

            “So am I, Tetsu-hime.”

            Tetsuhi laughed and it was as if Seijūro’s light had come back just for a moment.


	4. Beautiful and Ugly

**Chapter 3: Beautiful and Ugly**

* * *

 

_“ **N** e, Mommy!” A small girl ran toward her mother._

_The child was a mini replica of the woman. Both of them had huge blue eyes and silky, powder-blue hair that fell in curls on their back. The child was energetic and the woman, sweet._

_“Hai, hai, Tet-chan? What does my cute daughter want?” The woman sing-sang. She had a soft voice and a beautiful smile. She crouched down in front of the little child._

_“When will Daddy let me and Sei-nii go to school?” The small girl, Tet-chan, pouted. Her lips were pink, matching with her angry-reddish cheeks. She was cute in every way._

_The woman, Ayūmi, smiled. She patted her daughter’s head with kindness._

_“Soon enough, sweetheart,” the mother promised._

_“And then me and Sei-nii can make friends, right?”_

_“’Sei-chan and I’, sweetie. And, yes, that’s right.”_

_The tiny girl brought her hands up in excitement, “Yay~!”_

* * *

 

 **A** s days went by, Tetsuhi found herself happier than she had been for a long time.

            Her new friends had weird quirks, but they were _friends._ The Akashi twins had never had friends before Junior High. It made Tetsuhi smile at the simple thought of it – which Seijūro, of course, noticed.

            The group of freshman always ate lunch together and stayed in school, training, until late evening, when they’d go buy ice-cream and vanilla-flavored milkshake. As time went by, Tetsuhi discovered new things about her friends.

            Satsuki smiled most of the time and, when she wasn’t doing so, it was because the pink-haired girl was being a mother-hen and scolding Aomine. Said blue-haired teen was always babbling about basket this and basket that. Really, the boy could talk all day about the sport if you’d let him.

            The smallest Akashi also found out about Murasakibara-kun preference for sweets instead of salty foods – though the tall teen could, and would, eat anything in sight. She was sad to discover that he did not like basketball and only played because of his talent for it – however, Tetsuhi didn’t let it affect their relationship. Outside courts, Murasakibara-kun was kind and thoughtful, though a bit childish.

            The first string was mostly composed of third years – and three second-years – with the addiction of the special freshman group, of course. The captain, Nijimura Shūzō, was serious and took training equally seriously. There was no slacking off – not even to poor Tetsuhi. Seijūro was frequently annoyed by this, since his sister obviously had a fragile body. Said sister soothed him, saying that the captain couldn’t give her special treatment. Seijūro’s expression disagreed, but he did not interfere anymore – only making sure that she drank plenty of water and took deep breaths.

            Most of the other players ignored the small group of freshman – they _were_ horrible senpais indeed – and let them be. Midorima Shintarō somehow became the group’s friend, though the boy himself denied it every time. Tetsuhi thought he should stop denying, because he went to buy ice-cream every day with them either way. Not counting the fact that he was always the one to grab her shoes for her.

            About the Akashi twins class placement: no, they did not manage to change classes. Teikō Junior High was a strict school (although it _did_ give special treatment to those who showed good results). Tetsuhi, then, became used to seeing her brother only after four classes each meal and became really good friends with Aomine-kun and Momoi-san (who asked to be called Satsuki-chan).

            All in all, Tetsuhi couldn’t complain about anything.

            As her first tournament came closer, she should’ve thought about things going wrong. She really should have.

* * *

 

_**“N** ow, for this song, you’ll need to let go of each other hand,” the mother instructed wisely, holding a finger up._

_Tetsuhi and Seijūro looked at each other, positively beaming. They simply loved their mother with all their heart and had fun playing with her all day. They wished it would never end._

_“The song goes like this: if you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands,” The woman did it, and so did the children. “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. If you’re happy and you know it, and really want to show, if you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!”_

_The mother smiled once again, patting each child on their heads. Seijūro wished this beautiful would stay forever on her face._

_“Did you get all the song?”_

_“Hai~!” The children said together. They were good at this._

_Before both five-year old children could sing, however, the blue-haired woman started coughing._

_“Are you okay, Mommy?” The youngest one got up, standing beside her mother. Tetsuhi patted her mother’s head as said woman had done a few seconds ago._

_“I’m fine, sweetheart. Why don’t we continue our game?”_

_Tetsuhi smiled, completely relieved. Seijūro, on the other hand, watched his mother attentively. There were shadows in her eyes, and he did not like it._

* * *

 

            **S** anada-sensei said his name was Haizaki Shōgo.

            Tetushi was standing beside her brother when she saw the gray-haired boy for the first time. He wasn’t smiling and his eyes were almost closed, as if bored. His strong jaw was stubborn, and his features held a delinquent look. She did not like the bubbling sensation in her stomach as soon as she analyzed his stance.

            She couldn’t imagine why he would enter the basketball team after a month and a half of club activities, but didn’t make any questions. It was his life, after all.

            Unfortunately, Haizaki apparently wanted to be in _their_ lives. And it wasn’t in a good way.

            He was in class 1-D – with Midorima, though the green-haired boy managed to completely ignore him – and only saw the group at lunch and training hours. He kept stealing Tetsuhi’s food, even if Akashi had already threatened him with scissors (Midorima-kun’s lucky item… one of his weird quirks). He didn’t care about training and came sporadically.

            Tetsuhi _really_ couldn’t imagine why Shirogane-sensei would let someone like him enter the team. When she heard the ones who would be playing in the first game of the tournament, she smiled, hearing her own name. Her brother’s was called too.

            However, so was Haizaki.

            Tetsuhi’s wished the bubbling sensation in her stomach would disappear, but it never did with Haizaki around.

* * *

 

            _**“M** ommy!” _

_The woman coughed, and her breath stopped for a painful moment._

_“Daddy, Mommy is hurt!” The youngest one started crying loudly. The older one was lost – should he comfort his sweet sister or his injured mother? As soon as their father appeared in the doorway with the butler, Seijūro also started crying._

_They were only small kids, and their universe was dying._

* * *

 

            **T** eikō Junior High won against Nambara Junior High.

            Tetsuhi was happy. She got to play two quarters before becoming too tired. She made some points, had fun with her brother, and laughed with her friends. Murasakibara-kun was unstoppable after the small girl told him that her lips started unconsciously smiling when she saw him play. Aomine was giving his all, as always, and dunking from left to right. Midorima kept making three-pointers and the Akashi twins were in sync.

            It was perfect – until Haizaki arrived, late, when the third quarter was starting.

            He switched with Nijimura-senpai and entered the court. Tetushi was resting with a towel over her head and watched with trembling hands the grey-haired boy’s basket play style. It was… wild. No, that wasn’t the right word. Aomine-kun’s play style was wild, but beautiful – like a tiger. But Haizaki’s was…

            When the game ended, Tetsuhi reunited with her brother and, observing everybody’s tired and satisfied faces, she wondered if no one else saw Haizaki’s sour expression. Or if no one else felt shivers going up their arms when observing his play, his way of acting, his character.

            But Haizaki’s was _ugly._

* * *

 

_**T** etsuhi’s third visit to the hospital was the most horrible one._

_She was holding her brother’s hand while they chatted with their currently weak mother. She coughed once in a while, and smiled when they looked at her with worried doe-like eyes._

_It was too sudden._

_The machine beside beeping loudly and the blue-eyed woman started coughing harshly. Her eyes were frantic and the machine was beeping – beeping – beeping! Tetsuhi was carried out of the room by a nurse, as well as her brother. They were in hysterics in the middle of a hospital corridor, but couldn’t care less._

_“Mommy! Mommy! MOMMY!”_

_Tetsuhi wished the machine would keep beeping._

_It did not._


	5. Smile

**Chapter 4: Smile**

* * *

**“Y** our hair has gotten quite longer, Satsuki-chan.”

            Said girl was sitting on the school’s rooftop with her group of friends. It was a beautiful day and practice had been postponed until four p.m. since the coach and captain were holding a meeting.

            “Un,” the pink-haired girl agreed with a broad smile. “It’s because I found your hair so pretty that I wanted to have one as beautiful as yours.”

            The younger Akashi smiled softly, “Is that so? Thank you very much.”

            While both girls were talking – mostly the taller one – Aomine was lying down beside them, his eyes closed. Everybody knew that the boy slept at every opportunity, so it came as no surprise that he was spending their one free hour doing so. Murasakibara was happily munching on some snacks and occasionally offering some.

            “You lose again, Shintarō,” a voice commented behind Tetsuhi. The older twin was sitting back to back with his sister whilst playing a shogi match with the said boy.

            Midorima felt his eyebrow twitch and he made his best effort not to drop his lucky item (a red candle). No matter how many times they played against each other, Akashi always won. And to make things worse, the red-haired boy was the only one who played shogi decently. Aomine was too dumb, Murasakibara had a short-attention span for these kinds of things and Momoi never learnt how to play it. Midorima once tried to ask Tetsuhi if she wanted to play, but her brother never let her.

            Midorima wondered why, but never questioned them. Even after two months of knowing the siblings, nobody could understand their relationship.

            Suddenly, Momoi stood up, checking her cellphone.

            “Practice will start in ten minutes, Akashi-kun,” she said to the red-haired. Truthfully, the red-haired boy was the somewhat leader of the group. He was the one who could control Aomine and Murakisabara. Midorima simply complied with everything he said.

            “Let’s go,” the older twin suggested – though it was more of a demand than a suggestion to everyone but his sister – while helping Tetsuhi stand.

            The preliminaries of the National Championship had ended last week and it would start in the next one. The team had been practicing a lot – enough to make _even_ the captain feel sorry for putting too much strain on Tetsuhi… though it could be because the newly nominated vice-captain, Akashi Seijūro, had glared at him for days.

            Finally at the gym, the team aligned themselves in a line in front of the coach and the captain.

            “We were discussing about a practice match with Yon Middle School’s coach,” the first string coach, Sanada-sensei, announced. “It may sound strange a practice match at this point of the championship, but Yon’s basketball team can potentially be one of our opponents in the finals and it’d be good if we break their confidence already. That’s it, proceed with the training.”

            While their senpai shuffled around them, getting ready, Tetsuhi turned to face her brother.

            “Did you know about it, Onii-san?”

            Seijūro nodded, “Un. Shūzō-senpai had commented about it.”

            Aomine was grinning madly beside them, as if this was the best new he could receive.

            “Ah, I’m fired up!”

            Midorima snorted, arranging his glasses correctly on his nose. Murasakibara remained silent, mourning the lack of snacks.

            “What are you doing?” The captain questioned the first year group who was doing absolutely nothing. “Go practice some drills.”

            “Hai,” each freshman answered in their own way, moving to do so.

* * *

 

            **T** he very next day, they could be found inside their school bus, which was taking them to Yon Middle School, since it was in Kanagawa.

            Tetsuhi was peacefully sitting beside her brother, who chatted with Murasakibara. She could hear Momoi scolding Aomine for whatever the boy had done this time and Midorima’s lucky item (a bell) chiming on the seat in front of hers. The rest of the team sat in the front of the bus, not caring that much about their weird kouhai. Even Haizaki had come, though said boy sat alone.

            “Damn it, Satsuki!” Aomine suddenly complained as the girl was smacking him. “Why did you even come?”

            “Idiot Aomine, I’m the team’s manager along with Natsuki-chan and Rin-chan! None of them could come, so I offered myself,” she huffed.

            “Boy, does that sound wrong,” Tetsuhi heard the blue-haired preteen murmur behind her. She giggled and Seijūro looked at her curiously.

            “I’m fine,” she assured him between soft laughs.

            His red eyes smiled at her and he turned back to the purple-haired giant.

* * *

 

            **“C** ould Teiko’s fifth player come to the court, please?” The referee called.

            Yon’s basketball team was composed of four third-years taller than Aomine and one second-year as tall as Midorima. For any normal team, this would be an intimidating picture, but for Teiko this meant nothing. And they had Murasakibara as a starting player anyway.

            “I am here,” said fifth player, Tetsuhi, raised her tiny hand in front of the referee, who shouted in alarm. Even her teammates were somewhat taken by surprise – except, of course, her brother.

            The players of the foe’s team looked at each other and back at the small girl. Was she _really_ a starting player? And they had even heard stories about Teiko’s strong team… Well.

            The game started with the ball going to Teiko. And, soon enough, Yon’s team was forced to forget their previous thoughts.

            Teiko’s ace, Aomine Daiki, was absolutely overwhelming. He sometimes appeared to trip over his on excitement, but kept dunking all the same. Their center, Murasakibara Atsushi, was taller than all players on court despite being a first-year and appeared almost bored. The shooting guard, Midorima Shintarō, was fast with his three-pointers though his other skills could be polished. The vice-captain had been one of the starting players and though he was the second shortest, he had a good head between his shoulders and could create strategies in the spur of the moment. And, then, there was the smallest player, as fast as the ace, who could apparently disappear and come back when the moment called for it.

            Yon Middle School lost.

            And Nijimura just kept smirking in the sidelines and making comments to Momoi about what the first-years had to train to get better at. He ignored Haizaki’s grumbles about wanting to play – the boy deserved a punishment for all missing practices.

            The whistle announced the end of the match.

* * *

 

            **I** t was late evening when the group of first-years decided to split from their team and eat somewhere. Nijimura was the only senpai who spared them a glance, telling them to take care and wishing them good night. Although no one voice it, the freshmen felt grateful for it. It was, after all, unfair of their other senpais to treat them this coldly just because they took their spot.

            It wasn’t their fault if they were good at the sport.

            Tetsuhi had planned on ordering a simple vanilla milkshake – her favorite – but her brother wouldn’t let her _not_ eat.

            “Akashi, you baby Tetsu way too much,” Aomine opined as the red-haired boy ordered a ramen bowl for her.

            Both siblings stopped in the tracks, looking at the blue-haired boys with narrowed eyes. Tetsuhi had huge eyes and a cute face, but she could glare like no one – and Akashi, well, enough said. The twins didn’t like when others tried to voice their opinion on their relationship, because it was unique just like them.

            “What was that…-” The older twin started.

            “… Aomine,” His sister continued with an overly-sweet voice.

            “… Daiki,”

            “… kun?” They ended saying it together, as if speaking alone wasn’t frightening enough.

            The rest of the group was observing in silence. Even Midorima was praying for Aomine’s life. Said blue-haired boy gulped, shaking his head and uncharacteristically stuttering, “N-Nothing.”

            “That’s what I thought,” the twins completed – Tetsuhi with a small smile and Seijūro with narrowed red eyes.

            The rest of the meal progressed with no comments about Tetsuhi’s lack of hunger and her brother’s insistence in eating. When the younger twin stood up, saying that she wanted to go out a little and Akashi agreed as long as she came back in ten minutes, nobody said anything. Aomine had learnt his lesson about not inserting his thoughts about this matter and the others were wiser than him to try anything like that.

            Tetsuhi had just turned a corner when she collided with a body. Before she could crash down, however, a hand held her wrist, yanking her up.

            “Ah, sorry,” a male’s voice, somewhat childish yet, said. “I wasn’t looking at where I was going.”

            The blue-haired girl had to look up to see the stranger’s face. He was incredibly handsome with his golden hair and eyes as well as his model-like features. A piercing in his left ear gave the appearance of _cool_.

            She had the impression of seeing him before.

* * *

 

            **K** ise Ryōta had been mindlessly wandering around Kanagawa.

            Ever since he became a model half-a-year ago, his schedule included sometimes going to other districts because of photo shoots. It was tiring. Don’t get it wrong - he felt grateful for his older sister’s effort in finding an agency. After all, Kise _did_ want to model, but there were bad sides in this profession.

            At first, having fans was incredible. After days of mobs chasing him, he wasn’t so sure. And he always had to be cheerful and healthy, since no model was grumpy, or ugly, or fat. His family encouraged him to continue his new career and Kise had gotten so good in faking smiles that not even they could tell it.

            He couldn’t who was his true friend and who was not. Most girls came squealing and asking for autographs, and most boys just ignored him because of jealously. He himself wasn’t a mature person, but that was too much immaturity.

            Looking up at the reddish sky, Kise wondered if he’d find good friends somewhere. As he was too busy observing the disappearing sun, he didn’t see a small girl walking right into him. They collided and since he was obviously bigger and heavier, she was the one to fall. Kise hurriedly grabbed her thin wrist and yanked her up.

            “Ah, sorry,” he apologized, making sure of smiling charmingly. “I wasn’t looking at where I was going.”

            The girl appeared stunned for a moment, and Kise was dreading the moment when she’d finally see who he was. The girl was cute, he’d give her that. Her strangely powder-blue hair reached her tiny waist and her huge blue eyes were beautiful, but, in the end, she’d just be another hysteric girl.

            The small girl, who appeared to be his age, however, only blinked.

            “I’m Kise Ryōta, it’s nice to meet you,” he greeted cheerfully. He was expecting wide-eyes when his name was said, but she did nothing more than blink again. Maybe she was too stunned…?

            She bowed a little, “I am sorry for this, Kise-kun. My name is Akashi Tetsuhi and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

            Kise wanted to frown in confusion, but kept smiling elegantly. The girl was apologizing profusely like any fan of him would do if they collided with him, but her expression showed nothing more than politeness. In fact, it was as if she didn’t even know who he was.

            “Maa, maa, I’m at fault,” he disagreed, waving a hand. He noticed that the girl was wearing a white tailored-suit, a blue shirt with a black lace around her neck and an equally black skirt. _Teiko’s uniform_ , he thought, surprised. How had he never seen this girl around his school? He was sure he knew all girls there, even the upperclassmen.

            “I apologize again,” the girl said, bowing once again, before turning around and proceeding to walk back in the direction she had come from.

            Kise shouted before her could stop himself, “W-Wait!” As she looked at him with curious blue eyes, he reprimanded himself for stuttering for a moment. Models did not stutter. “Do you know who I am?”

            The tiny girl titled her head to one side, confused.

            “You are Kise Ryōta, right?” He nodded somewhat dumbly, expecting a _“the model, right?”_ , however what she said next left his mind blank. “You just introduced yourself, Kise-kun, of course I know who you are.”

            The blond teen vaguely noticed that he was still smiling charmingly when her eyes observed his lips.

            “Ne, you don’t need to smile this much,” she suggested, as if knowing of his internal conflict. Of course she did not, but his eyes still widened anyway.

            She turned her back to him and, this time, Kise did no movement to call her again. A stranger had just seen past his smile with no effort at all.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Kise finally appears! Well, as you can see, I like the idead of a not-so-cheerful Kise. Model life can be hard, people!


	6. Sweet Father O' Mine

**Chapter 5: Sweet Father O’ Mine**

* * *

**T** etsuhi looked down, her small hands closed in tight fists. She wished her father would stop talking. It had started with such a simple question, and yet… From the corner of her eyes, she observed her brother, who sat beside her. She hated it – she hated how their father could make him quiet.

            Seijūro wasn’t this type of boy. He always stood up for himself, and yet… There were too many _but_ ’s in this family. The small girl _really_ wished her father would stop talking.

            “Are you still playing that silly game of yours?”

            Akashi Seitarō was a proud man. He accepted nothing less than the very best and the twins were aware of that since their birth. Both of them knew that their father loved them, but he was a man of no action. Seitarō could bribe anyone, could control anyone with a cold voice, a firm unyielding hand and even money. And the twins were also aware of the fact that said man got worse when his wife – and their mother – died. She had been the love who glued the family together.

            Tetsuh remained quiet, politely munching on her rice and chicken. She was relieved when her brother spoke for them.

            “We are, Father,” Seijūro’s voice was blank. While their father’s brought a hint of irony and disdain, her brother’s showed no emotion at all.

          Tetsuhi was also aware that if she started talking she wouldn’t last much longer. The small girl could talk with a blank face with anyone if she wished, except her brother and her father – the former because he knew her too well and the later because she succumbed to the pressure.

           “What about your other classes?” Their father questioned with sharp red eyes. He cleaned his mouth with a napkin and sipped his wine.

          Seijūro didn’t hesitate, “All of them are going perfectly smooth. Tetsuhi’s ballet and foreign language classes as well as my equestrian and politics classes are easy and enjoyable.”

           Tetsuhi briefly nodded in agreement, carefully keeping her face as blank as her brother’s one.

          Their father wasn’t convinced.

          “I allowed these classes since they could be beneficial for your future. Basketball, however, is not.”

           Tetsuhi had the answer on the tip of her tongue and, this time, she didn’t swallow it, “Basketball trains the mind and the body, Father – it has been a good exercise for both of us.”

            Seitarō stayed in silence for moment, before commenting, “You dance ballet, you brother takes equestrian classes, that’s enough exercise for one’s body.”

           Her mind panicked as soon as she looked into her father’s eyes. Seijūro maintained his calm face even though his hand squeezed hers under the table cloth. He was starting to get angry.

           “We are the best in our school year, Father, even though we have many commitments. Surely it is possible for us to do something pleasant in the meantime?”

            Seitarō nodded so minimally that it was hard to tell, “You may continue with this child play while you keep your grades perfect. Should one of you drop from the best position, be ready to quit this nonsense.”

          Both nodded immediately and their father stood up, excusing himself. Seijūro finally let her hand go with a soft caress. Tetsuhi sighed, switching the fork from her left hand to her right one.

          “I can’t help myself,” Tetsuhi murmured in apologetic tone.

           Her brother glanced at her with questioning eyes. They were red like Seitarō, but so gentler.

           Tetsuhi played with her food even though she was aware it was impolite. She couldn’t bring herself to look from her plate.

          “What is it, Tetsu-hime?” Seijūro asked, bringing her chin up with a finger.

          “When Father talks, I…” Her voice faltered. “I’m so weak and become so nervous in front of him, and he knows it… I just, I’m so…”

          One tear fell, followed by two more and, soon enough, Tetsuhi was crying. She hated it. Her brother always took her in his arms and comforted her, but she was sick of crying. It was easy to be happy outside this house, but so difficult to maintain a calm façade inside it. Their maids and butlers were mere workers and their father was too cold. Tetsuhi only had Seijūro now – it had been this way for almost eight years.

          “Shh, it’s going to be alright,” her brother soothed her, patting her head. “You don’t need to speak if you do not wish to do so. Let me talk for both of us.”

           Tetsuhi shook her head against her brother’s shoulder.

         “No, no,” she moaned in a stubborn manner. “He would know I’m nervous anyway. I’m right-handed, but I always switch my fork to my left hand and hold your own since you sit in my right. Father knows that, he notices _this_ small, ridiculous fact and plays with his words, and…”

           Tetsuhi stopped, because it was too difficult to talk while sobbing and sniffing.

            Tetsuhi wished her father would stop talking – Seijūro just wished his sister would stop crying.

* * *

 

            **T** eiko Middle School won in the quarter finals and the semi-finals.

            Nijimura was the only senpai who played – and, even so, only one quarter. He gave orders from the sidelines during the breaks, but put his confidence in Akashi’s leadership skills. The other seniors were too annoyed to cheer for them, but the rest of the club cheering on the audience was enough.

            And, sincerely speaking, none of them were nervous at all about the games. They were too concentrated in it to _care_ about it.

            Aomine had gone through emotion control drills this last week, since Nijimura-senpai deemed him too emotional, which made him trip over his on feet sometimes and rush into things without thinking. No miracle happened in just six days of training, but the boy at least stopped to listen to the older Akashi’s orders during a game (though he still paid no attention on the breaks).

            Murasakibara had been religiously trained to defend the hoop as one of their opponents had a team composed only of people as tall as the purple-haired guy, though they were all third-years. The giant player went from bored to hard-working the minute Tetsuhi told him that he was being amazing so far – according to him, the smaller twin was the only one who could make him _somewhat_ smile during a game.

            Haizaki had been dragged to practice this week by a group of senpais under Nijimura-senpai request. He had grudgingly gone and done the drills he was ordered to do. His style involved copying, which – according to him – required no training, only a real game. For this cheekiness the captain made him sit through the entire quarter-finals (the captain _then_ played one quarter and Tetsuhi played during the three others. The older Akashi almost wanted to kill Haizaki for being so arrogant and making his sister plays to exhaustion). The gray-haired boy was still irked in the semi-finals, but _did_ listen to the vice-captain’s orders on court.

            Midorima was incredible with three-pointers, there was no doubt, but some of them were blocked by the tallest players, which annoyed him to no end. Nijimura had the boy go strength drills this week, which paid off, but was nowhere near finish (as they won the semi-finals anyway, they’d go to the finals two weeks from now, and the freshman would have enough training to get it better). He was faster and stronger, but his ball handling was average when not shooting.

            Seijūro seemed perfect in everything he did. He passed with precision, he made strategies, he could shoot when the situation asked for it. But Tetsuhi knew his weakness. Her brother had two playing styles: one in sync with her, and one that he played alone. The former one was complete and ready to be used (and, boy, they did), the latter however required something more. It was lacking and only someone with attentive eyes could notice. The problem was that none of the twins knew what was missing.

            And there was Tetsuhi. She had no clear position, playing in whichever the captain ordered her. She usually played as small forward, since Haizaki entered the game in this position. Her steals were precious against a taller team and her passes were as valued as them in the other games. Tetsuhi could play three types of basketball: with her brother, with misdirection, and by herself. She had never used the last in front of the others and the situation had never required her to.

            All in all, the other teams were scared and exhausted enough to tremble by the end of the game while standing in front of the five players of Teiko.

            “Hah, that was a good game,” Aomine commented as soon as they reached the bench, immediately drinking at least one liter of water in one go.

            Tetsuhi tried not to collapse on the ground – Nijimura-senpai _did_ say not to embarrass their school after all. Her brother reached for her water bottle, from which she drank gratefully.

            “Your dunks were amazing as always,” Tetsuhi praised the dark-skinned boy when she could finally speak.

            Midorima huffed beside her, “Any monkey could have done better. My three-pointers on the other hand…-“

            He would have continued if Murasakibara hadn’t interrupted him, “Mido-chin, that’s not a nice thing to say,” the giant chided, already devouring barbecue-flavored chips.

            The green-haired shooter frowned.

            “I don’t want to hear that from _you_ ,” he replied. In fact, Murasakibara was the most childish one in the group.

            “Maa, maa,” Momoi tried to stop them from arguing. “We just won; we should be happy, right?”

            “We could celebrate!” Aomine agreed with a lopsided grin.

            Seijūro, who had been quiet until now, spoke up, “We could go to my house.”

            All freshmen stopped, even Haizaki a little away from them. Most senpai had already gone home and the captain was talking to the head coach.

            “Your house?” The ace of Teiko questioned, dumbfounded.

            The older Akashi sighed impatiently and Tetsuhi suppressed the desire to laugh.

            “Yes, Daiki, my house,” he spoke as if he was talking to a five-year-old child. “You _do_ know that I live in a house with roof and walls don’t you?”

            “O-Of course,” the boy answered, too shocked to be offended.

            Tetsuhi smile a little, “You’re all welcome.”

            “Aka-chin and Hime-chin are nice~” Murasakibara said between bites.

            Just then Tetsuhi saw a man wearing a suit entering the soon-to-be-emptied gym. He was tall and had grizzled hair, and an air of dignity around him. He was looking around and walked in the twins’ direction as soon as he saw then.

            “Seijūro-sama, Tetsuhi-sama,” the man addressed respectfully. “Your father requested me to come and bring you back home.”

            The other freshmen stood in silence beside the Akashi twins.

            “Takahiro-san,” Tetsuhi greeted with a small nod of her head. Seijūro didn’t bother, he was busy narrowing his eyes.

            “Father did?” He asked in fake surprised voice, but Tetsuhi knew that only she – and perhaps their butler as well – did. “How kind of him, we were thinking of walking home.”

            Takahiro did nothing more than put his right arm over his chest and bow respectfully, before indicating with said arm the path to the car outside.

           Seijūro almost smirked as he said the next words, “Since Father is eager to see both of us, I am sure he will not care about friends of ours coming together with us.” He purposely let the phrase end as an affirmation instead of a question.

          Takahiro was the chief butler, but was, after all, only a butler. No matter how much he wanted to say that this may not be a wise idea, he kept quiet. His job was to ensure young lord and young lady’s happiness and wishes.

          Their friends, who had been quiet until now, finally moved when Seijūro suggested they picked up their bags and accompanied the twins. Haizaki was the only one to scoff and walk away and Momoi – after reassured by Tetsuhi that she could lend clothes – also followed the group.

           They entered the spacious car and not once did the group mention the bitter tone in Seijūro’s last words.


	7. The Darkness of Light Colors

**Chapter 6: The Darkness of Light Colors**

* * *

            **“W** ow…”

            That appeared to be the only thing that the group of freshmen was capable of saying upon seeing the Akashi’s house (or was it a mansion?). From the golden gates – in which one must identify oneself before being allowed to enter – to the enormous European-style building, Tetsuhi and Seijūro’s house oozed wealth.

            “You live here?” Aomine asked excitedly. His dark blue eyes were wide open.

            “Hai,” Tetsuhi answered with a soft smile. Seijūro was the only one who saw her lips trembling, and he knew why: his sister liked most things in the simplest way possible. She liked her home, alright, but sometimes even he had to agree it was way too much.

            “Cool!” He exclaimed. Beside him, Momoi was looking with heart-shaped eyes at the flower-beds that followed the entire path leading to the main door.

            “Tetsuhi-sama, Seijūro-sama,” said the chief butler. He had opened the door for both mentioned and closed it when their friends also exited the limo.

            “I didn’t know you were so rich, Aka-chin, Hime-chin,” Murasakibara commented, his purple eyes slightly less closed.

            “It’s of no importance, Murasakibara-“

            “Atsushi-“

            “-kun.” Both twins ended together. By now, their group of friends was used to it.

            One maid wearing a black standard dress opened the door, murmuring a small greeting. Two more were waiting inside to collect their shoes and jackets should one of them be carrying one (it was strangely chilly for a spring day).

            “Seitarō-sama is waiting in the dining-room,” one maid appeared from a sideways door. She was wearing the same black dress, but her maid apron was gray instead of white.

            “Thank you, Rin,” Tetsuhi smiled at the chief maid. The woman bowed forty-five degrees and led the house’s masters and their friends to said room.

            The group of freshmen was showing impressed expressions in their own way. The walls were painted of a light color, full of portraits and paintings. The furniture was well cared-for and beautiful. All in all, this house was incredible.

            There was a huge hall before the dining-room with couches and low glass tables.

            “For business purposes,” the older twin explained when Midorima asked.

            Rin opened the door and they were awe-struck at the sight of the dining-room. Its walls were painted of a rich golden color – differently from the creamy-painted corridors – and silvery details running up the columns in the room. There was a long, mahogany table covered with a white and turquoise-detailed tablecloth.

            A man sat at the head of the table. As they came closer, the group noticed that his hair and his eyes were ruby red – much like Seijūro’s – but his skin was a tint darker and his expression was cold.

            “Tetsuhi, Seijūro, may I enquire who are they?”

            The man’s voice could freeze the entire room.

            Momoi scooted closer to her childhood friend, who took a step back. Midorima and Murasakibara froze in the feet. The twins simply stopped in front of their father.

            “They are Murasakibara Atsushi, Aomine Daiki, Momoi Satsuki and Midorima Shintarō,” the older twin introduced each freshman.

            And Tetsuhi added, “They are our friends.”

            Seitarō narrowed his eyes, and Aomine felt the sudden urge to run.

            “From the basketball club is that what you mean?”

            One would think that the Akashi twins hesitated before replying together, but it was too fast to be sure, “Hai.”

            “I see.”

            Seijūro walked to his usual place – the left seat beside his father – after helping his sister sit down. The visitors were ushered to seat on the other side of the table. Midorima noticed that the seat to his left – and consequently on the right of the twins’ father – stayed empty. The green-haired shooter certainly wasn’t shy, but couldn’t gather enough courage to break the pressure inside the dining-room and ask about it.

            Seitarō sipped his red wine before speaking with a velvet voice, “Tetsuhi and Seijūro have never commented anything about their _friends_ ,” there was something in his tone that nobody could understand, “before. How curious, I must say.”

            The group of freshmen was confused, but the twins understood exactly what their father was trying to do. Twist some words here and there, and make their friends believe that Tetsuhi and Seijūro never cared about them. Not enough to talk _about_ them, at least.

            The older twin also narrowed his red eyes.

            “As we were aware of your busy schedule, Father, sister and I deemed comments about out school life unimportant.”

            Their group of friends was somewhat taken back by Seijūro’s overly formal and polite words.

            “Is that so? I am always unoccupied to listen to you, Seijūro,” their father said in a slightly chiding tone, as if he was truly woeful that neither twin had talked about it with him.

            Tetsuhi knew her father loved them, but also knew that he wasn’t _free_ to listen to them.

            “May I ask the result of today’s game?”

            “You may,” Tetsuhi bowed her head a little. Dinner was always difficult when father was present. The last one – three days ago – ended with her in tears.

            “We won, Father,” Seijūro answered as his sister could not continue her statement.

            Maids entered the room carrying trays full of food. There were minutes of silence as everyone started eating.

            “Tell me, Midorima-kun,” Seitarō started saying and the green-haired freshman was startled. “Are you the son of the head of St. Luke’s International Hospital? He is a good friend of mine.”

            “I am,” and the shooter of the basketball team was grateful that he didn’t stutter.

            “Oh, how delightful,” the red-haired man said with a small smile, though both twins could tell it was just polite and nothing else. “Does he approve of you playing basketball?”

            “Yes, he does,” Midorima nodded, trying with all his might not to show nervousness. This man was frightening. “My Father thinks that playing one sport is beneficial to the mind and the body.”

            “Is that it? What about you, Aomine-kun,” the team’s ace looked up from his delicious food. “When did you start playing basketball?”

            Tetsuhi and Seijūro quickly observed Daiki’s reactions. He was the most emotional one of team, being easy to read and irritate. It was a horrible clash against their father’s manipulative personality.

            “Hmm,” Aomine hummed thought. Seriously, there red eyes were scary! “I think I was six when I first went to a street court.”

            Seitarō analyzed the preteen sitting between the green-haired middle-schooler and the pink-haired girl.

            “You learnt from trial and error, then?”

            Aomine nodded, incapable of saying anything when these eyes observed him so attentively. It was as if the man was looking inside his soul. They were sitting on seats of the same height, but the dark-skinned preteen felt as if the man was in a podium and he had to look up.

            “My wife, Ayūmi, used to take Tetsuhi and Seijūro to street courts and let them play basketball to their hearts’ content,” the man commented lightly and the twins tensed at the mention of their mother. “This stopped after she died, of course.”

            Tetsuhi lowered her head. Her father was speaking in such a light tone, almost as if he didn’t care about his wife’s death. Worst of all: he was doing this only to see their friends’ reaction – too see if they knew about this fact, too see if they cared enough about it.

            “I-I’m sorry,” Aomine stuttered, not sure of what to say. But, then, none of the freshmen knew. Momoi had tears in her eyes as she looked at the siblings in front of her and Murasakibara had even stopped eating for a moment. Midorima simply blinked slowly, bewildered.

            “Thank you,” Seitarō said in a pleasant voice. “However it _was_ a long time ago.”

            Tetsuhi swallowed her tears as her brother held her hand tightly. Eight years have passed since their universe’s death – should it be considered a long time ago? It was too soon for her to speak about it without crying. She could _think_ about it, sure, but talk? In such a light conversation?

             “Tetsuhi,” her father called and said girl cursed mentally. _Of course_ he called at her moment of weakness. She sighed and blinked her tears away before looking up. None of her friends seemed to have noticed it, for what she was grateful.

            “Yes, Father?” Her voice was shaky.

            Seitarō made no sound of acknowledgment, “Have you ever told them about your other classes? Momoi-san appears to be the type of lady who would be interested in them.”

            Satsuki still had unshed tears in her eyes as she looked at her newest best girl friend.

            “Yes, Tetsuhi-chan. Tell me about them,” she tried to put cheerfulness in her voice.

            Tetsuhi looked so small and frail sitting on the chair beside her brother, Momoi thought. Her powder-blue hair was long enough to disappear below the tablecloth height and her huge eyes held a strange feeling in them. Startled, Momoi realized that this feeling was desperation.

            “I dance ballet,” the blue-haired girl said. “My Mother has always liked it and now I do too. I have voice lessons each ten days and language classes four times a week.”

            “Don’t you get tired from this busy schedule, Tetsu?” Aomine asked, seeing that his childhood friend was strangely mute.

            Seitarō narrowed his eyes at the nickname, and replied instead of his daughter, “She does not. And if _Tetsuhi_ did, the first thing she would do is quit playing this nonsense game.”

            Aomine was taken back.

            “Basketball isn’t…-“

            “Daiki,” Seijūro interrupted as his father lightly smirked, as if satisfied for the outcome of this conversation. “My Father has his opinion, you have yours. Let’s keep it this way.”

            “No, no, Seijūro, let the boy speak,” Seitarō conceded with a wave of his hand.

            Aomine wasn’t so sure of what he wanted to say anymore, “I-I… Basketball isn’t…”

            “ _Basketball isn’t a waste of time_ is what is you want to say, right, Aomine-kun?” Tetsuhi completed helpfully and her best friend nodded.

            “Yeah, that’s what I meant.”

            Seitarō’s lips were a thin line as if his amusement had ended, “I see.”

            And the rest of the dinner was spent in silence.


	8. The Taste of the Truth

**Chapter 7: The Taste of the Truth**

* * *

 

            **T** he group of freshmen was surprised to discover that the only reason the scary man had called his children to dinner with him was because said _scary man_ was going out on a business trip. The Akashi twins didn’t seem affected by the news, though.

            Later that night, all of them were given futons and pillows to sleep in their twin friends’ room.

            “Eh? Akashi and Tetsu sleep in the same room?” Aomine asked rather rudely when he noticed the bedroom. It was painted in neutral colors with a good decoration, as expected from the owners.

            Momoi smacked the back of his head, “Dai-chan, you idiot!”

            “Hah? What did I say _now_?”

            Tetsuhi smiled a little at their exchange. Seijūro patted her head – his way of showing amusement.

            “If you immature children have finished arguing, I want to sleep,” said a very annoyed Midorima from his futon.

            “Already, Mido-chin~?” Murasakibara was lazily eating the snacks the maids had given them (“Hey, that’s ours too!” – Aomine). “It’s soo~ early!”

            The green-haired shooter fumed, “Why did I even come? I’m not your friend.”

            Everybody stopped. Seijūro and Tetsuhi had been talking in their _twin-magical-way_ (Aomine’s – of course – denomination for the action), Momoi paused her complaining about her childhood friend and even Murasakibara stopped munching on food.

            Everybody stopped – just to make a _“Seriously?”_ face at Midorima.

            Tetsuhi said with no expression at all, “Midorima-kun, you get my shoes every day.”

            Aomine nodded in agreement, “ _And_ you eat ice-cream too.”

            “Weren’t you helping Atsushi with his homework just three days ago?” The older Akashi added, finding the scene of a blushing Midorima extremely amusing.

            “He did,” the purple-haired giant opined.

            “Ne, Midorin,” and _that_ was Momoi’s nickname for their shooter, “I think you’re our friend, after all. Isn’t it good for you?”

            “NOT AT ALL!”

* * *

 

            **T** he final of the tournament was surprisingly smooth considering that the team was composed of first years. Teiko Middle School remained in high spirits during the next week, with everybody congratulating the basketball team for their victory (except, maybe, the bitter upperclassmen in the first-string).

            Tetsuhi couldn’t be any happier. And, before she knew, the end of the first trimester was arriving along with the end-of-term exams.

            “Waaah,” Momoi complained one day, when they were studying in the library during lunch time. “How can I memorize so many formulas?”

            Aomine would be complaining the same thing had he been awake instead of sleeping on the chair beside them.

            “It’s actually really easy, Satsuki-chan.” Even after knowing the pink-haired for three months, it was still strange to call her by her first name. Tetsuhi was used to letting her brother be scary and informal one, while she was the collected and polite one.

            Momoi practically deflated at this statement, “Mou~! Tetsuhi-chan is so intelligent! You’re the girl with the highest score in our year too.”

            Tetsuhi didn’t blush at this, because it wasn’t her type to get embarrassed over commentaries like that one. But she definitely got uncomfortable, “Thank you, Satsuki-chan.”

            The pink-haired girl observed her for a moment before letting out a shriek, “KAWAII!”

            “Shhh,” a very annoyed library scolded.

* * *

 

            **“T** etsu-hime,” called the older Akashi, opening the door of class 1-B.

            By then, the people of this class were used to the surprisingly affectionate nickname and the sudden appearance of their classmate’s twin. Not that Seijūro was a cold boy – he was polite (and scary when someone made his sister sad), but he didn’t look like the type to be kind-hearted with anyone.

            Classes today had already ended and most people had started heading to their houses or school clubs.

            “Practice is going to start earlier today, remember? We don’t have our usual twenty minutes of free time. Let’s go,” Seijūro called, offering his hand.

            Although Tetsuhi took it, it was only for a moment – just enough time to squeeze it.

            “Sorry, Onii-san, I have cleaning duty today. Can you warn Nijimura-senpai that I’ll be late today?”

            Seijūro observed his sister’s delicate hands. They’d get red from the broom and board washing. Her body itself was tiny and frail.

            “Alright,” he agreed. “Do your best, then.”

            “Hai,” Tetsuhi dutifully nodded, smiling a little. Her brother kissed her forehead, having just the right height not to need bending down.

            Suddenly, Aomine patted Akashi’s shoulder, “She’s gonna be fine, Akashi. Tetsu is a big girl, right, Tetsu?”

            Akashi had dark clouds over his head, “Don’t pat my shoulder like this, Daiki.”

            Said blue-haired boy quickly obeyed. At first, Akashi seemed like an okay guy – but during these three months of, er, friendship, he somehow got frightening.

            “Work hard, Tetsuhi-chan!” Momoi encouraged, making a victory sign to her best girl friend. “And you, Dai-chan, as the manager of the team, I can’t let you be late – _get going!”_

            “Hah? You’re only _one of the_ managers of the team, Satsuki, don’t be so cocky…”

            “I don’t want to hear that from _you_! And I’m the chief-manager, got that? Chief~”

            Their voices diminished as they walked farther away. Akashi shook his head, observing them, “Frankly speaking, I still have doubts about why you choose to be their friends.”

            Tetsuhi tilted her head.

            “But, Sei-nii, they’re your friends too, you know?”

            Seijūro appeared shocked for a moment, and Tetsuhi could understand why. They had never had friends before. People in Elementary School never talked to the twins. When they had started it, the smaller Akashi was feeling too depressed to talk to anyone and Seijūro simply kept his distance. When both finally accepted their mother’s death, it was already too late: they had earned the reputation of “Ice Twins”.

            “Ne, Sei-nii, shouldn’t you go?”

            “Huh?”

            Tetsuhi giggled. It was so unlike her brother to daydream that she couldn’t help but laugh softly. She poked his cheek while smiling, “ _Seijūro_ ,” the petite girl practically sang. “You’re as happy as me.”

            And said boy could only be grateful that the classroom was empty except for them – because he blushed. And an Akashi _does not_ blush.

* * *

 

            **T** etsuhi glared at her shoes locker.

            She absolutely hated it. Hadn’t she grown these months? The petite girl still couldn’t reach for her own sneakers – and she had practice too! She couldn’t ask for her brother’s help, as he had been called by Nijimura-senpai and it appeared to be something important. Midorima-kun was sick with a cold, and the others had already gone to the gym.

            But her shoes lockers stayed the same no matter how much she glared.

            Tetsuhi tried once again, standing on her tip toes and reaching with her tiny hand. No success. She huffed.

            “Ah, here,” a voice said behind her, easily grabbing her sneakers.

            _What’s with people and their height?_ , she thought, turning around to see a strangely familiar boy. _Ah, that’s the boy that I met… His smile still is…_ She bowed in a brief thank you.

            “Woah, you’re the weird girl that…” But the blond trailed off. He didn’t stop smiling charmingly, though. He blinked, appearing to be surprised, “So you _did_ come to Teiko, after all.”

            Tetsuhi tilted her head, unconsciously becoming cuter.

            “Excuse me, do I know you?” The petit girl was aware of the fact that she did. Her memory was excellent.

            The boy made a funny face, caught by surprise.

            “So mean! I introduced myself to you already!” He cried.

            Tetsuhi observed the change on his expression, “You shouldn’t try so hard, you know.”

            He was handsome, she had to admit. The small girl would be stupid if she didn’t notice. The boy got model looks – and, if she remembered right, he _was_ one. But good looks don’t equal good personality. And Tetsuhi was the type that liked truthfulness.

            Kise stopped, his smile slowly fading. He wasn’t used to it – to girls not remembering his face, to people telling him to be himself. The blond had gotten accustomed to “Lift your head, smile and be confident”. His motto had been this one for almost a year now.

            “T-try?” He uncharacteristically stuttered. “I’m not trying anything, I–“

            The blue-haired girl held the hem of his uniform shirt as the blond stepped back.

            “You _are_ ,” she disagreed and Kise was surprised by the intensity. “You don’t have to smile at me all the time – not if they’re fake smiles, Kise-kun.”

            She thanked him for the shoes once again before turning around and heading to basketball practice. It wasn’t until much later that Kise realized that he hadn’t introduced himself again for her to know his supposedly forgotten name.

* * *

 

            “ **A** aah, summer break,” yawned Aomine, stretching his body. He was tired from the training and the excessive studying that Satsuki and Tetsuhi had made him do.

            Momoi, of course, had her cent to add, “Aren’t you glad that you studied and don’t have to take supplementary classes the next two weeks?”

            “You’re not my mother, Satsuki,” the blue-haired boy drawled. “Don’t be so annoying.”

            “Urghh, Dai-chan!”

            Tetsuhi observed with a smile as the two friends killed themselves in front of her. The group of freshmen was sitting on the roof of the school. It was the last day before summer break and they had nothing to do, even if classes had already ended. There were no club activities and they were planning what to do for the next two weeks of free time.

            “Maybe we could go to the beach?” Murasakibara suggested which was unusual of him. The boy usually just went with the flow.

            Seijūro was sitting back to back with his sister – their most common position – and was gazing at the blue sky.

            “Tokyo summer is too hot, though,” Momoi worried. “Won’t it be bad for Tetsuhi-chan’s skin? She’s the palest of us, isn’t she?”

            At once, Seijūro sat straighter and stopped thinking about their next step, “We cannot go to the beach. Think of something else.”

            Aomine made a face, “And there it goes the overprocti…” He trailed off, seeing the twins’ glare.

            “Is there something you want to say, Aomine Daiki-kun?” They talked in perfect unison as always. The blue-haired boy shook his head violently. The others sighed, thinking that the ace of the team should be used to keeping his comments to himself by now.

            “Perhaps we could pull an extended sleepover at our house, Onii-san?” Tetsuhi suggested, putting a finger on her cheek.

            The group of freshmen quickly cheered up at the prospect as their only visit to the twins’ house had showed them the goodies of it – there was a pool, a games room, a tennis court, a library (Midorima simply loved this part), chefs preparing delicious food and much more.

            “Waah, really, Tetsuhi-chan, can we go?”

            “Un,” the girl nodded. “Father is going to be away in a trip for the next three weeks and the house will be empty.” If you didn’t count the maids, butler and all kinds of workers, but this wasn’t mentioned.

            Seijūro didn’t protest at the idea so the other freshmen took this as an agreement.

            “Ah, the next two weeks are going to be so fun!” Momoi hugged her friend.

            “Aka-chin is a softy inside~” Murasakibara commented, eating his chips.

            Seijūro closed his eyes, his face stern, “Continue eating, Atsushi.”

            “Hai, hai~”

            Tetsuhi definitely couldn’t be happier. 


	9. A Troubled Summer

**Chapter 8: A Troubled Summer**

* * *

              **W** hen the summer break finally arrived, the group of freshmen packed their bags and went off to the Akashi household. It was their second time seeing it, but the building continue incredibly impressive.

             “Waah, so hot,” Momoi complained, while the maids took them to the _young master_ and _young mistress_ room.

             “Tokyo summers are hot, Momoi-chin,” drawled Murasakibara, who was right behind her, eating his snacks.

             “Please, excuse us,” the two maids bowed in their direction once they reached said bedroom, before walking away.

             Midorima knocked and Seijūro’s distinctive voice answered, “Come in.”

            The redhead boy was sitting on his bed on the left side of the room, calmly reading a book about shogi strategies. They had never seen him so relaxed, as their vice-captain was partially lying down with a pillow supporting his back. Tetsuhi, on the other hand, was moving around the room, apparently putting away dance items such as dance shoes and hair ties. The surprising thing was that she was wearing a teal-colored leotard with pink tights and a white ballet skirt.

            “Kawaii!” Momoi exclaimed, entering the room before any of the twins could say otherwise. The pink-paired freshman ran and hugged the shorter girl as if her life depended on it.

           “Satsuki-chan, ohayou,” the petite girl greeted with her head tucked beneath the other’s chin.

           “You’re so cute like this, Tetsuhi-chan!”

            Aomine snorted, “You’d better let her go, Satsuki, or you’ll choke her to death.”

            The pink-haired immediately let go – though it was hard to tell if it was because of concern for the tinier girl’s safety, or because of said girl’s twin’s glare.

            “I was just finishing my usual work out – my teacher doesn’t come during breaks, so I might as well keep it up,” Tetsuhi explained her attire. Not that Momoi minded – her friend was _so cute_.

            Seijūro offered a water bottle to his sister after walking toward her and patting her head, “Here, you must be thirsty.”

            “Thank you,” the smaller twin drank from the bottle in large gulps. Her twin observed with a worried gaze.

            “What about going to the pool a little? It’s hot and you’re exhausted,” he suggested, seeing the sweat on her brow and her formerly dry lips.

            Not wasting any time, Aomine celebrated, “Now that is what I’m talking about.”

            Midorima tidied up the glasses on his face. He was melting from the hotness and couldn’t wait to submerse in cool water. Murasakibara simply opened another bag of salsa-flavored chips, apparently satisfied with doing whatever activity the others wanted as long as he kept his food.

             “Let’s put bikinis, Tetsuhi-chan,” Momoi tugged the twin’s hand, carrying her bag toward the bathroom connected to the bedroom.

            “But my clothes are in the closet, Satsuki-chan,” Tetsuhi argued with certain apathy. The pink-haired girl sweat-dropped and change directions to the girl’s closet (as there was Seijūro’s closet right on the opposite side of the room).

            The boys wasted no time waiting for the girls, diving in the cold water as soon as they say it. Even Seijūro was having a difficult time hiding his discomfort with the weather. Tokyo summers were really Hell on Earth.

            The two girls came ten minutes later. Although they saw Momoi every day and were aware of her – err – well-endowed bosom, it was still surprising to see a thirteen-year-old girl with a C-cup. Aomine was the only one who wasn’t surprised by it when she appeared with a black bikini. Behind her came a softly smiling Tetsuhi, who practically had no bosom yet, but was the owner of a thin waist. She was as cute as a button with her brown bikini and blue-colored curls cascading down her back.

            But none of that mattered anyway. The group of friends had reunited for what should be the best couple of weeks of their lives.

* * *

 

            **“T** here’s going to be a cosplay competition next Saturday,” commented Momoi, observing the screen of her laptop sometime during their eight day together.

            The group was relaxing in one of the dining rooms with air-conditioner, each one minding their own business. It was good staying quietly beside each other, just doing whatever they wanted. Seijūro and Midorima were playing a match of shogi – and, always, the older boy was losing. Aomine was content with his basketball magazines and Murasakibara with his food (the maids had taken a like to him). Momoi and Tetsuhi were surfing on the Internet, searching for something to do.

            And, apparently, Momoi had found it.

            “And?” Aomine drawled, not really impressed. He wasn’t a fan of this kind of event.

            “It looks awesome, don’t you think?” The pink-haired girl daydreamt. “We could dress up as we like – and win if we’re good enough!”

            The four boys stared at her with deadpanned expressions, even the redhead twin.

            Tetsuhi was twisting her pink lips in her usual little smile.

            “It would be fun to enter the competition together, though,” the petite girl added her opinion and the other looked at her with surprise. They had never expected their youngest member to like this kind of thing. Seeing the looks, she just tilted her head, saying, “Is it a bad idea?”

            Tetsuhi didn’t know – or maybe she did, as she was an Akashi, after all – but her eyes appeared to grow bigger and her cute charm sky-rocketed.

            “A-ah,” Aomine stuttered. “Perhaps it’s gonna be c-cool…”

            “Yeah…” Murasakibara and Midorima agreed, not sure of what to say.

            Seijūro sent them his glare, which clearly said _don’t even think about it_.

            Momoi clapped her hands, cheerful, “Yay! Don’t worry about the costumes, Tetsuhi-chan and I are going to take care of everything, aren’t we?”

            The petite girl nodded, happy that the group would be doing more activities together. As Momoi heard what she _definitely_ couldn’t make them wear – the boys were really worried about it – Tetsuhi looked at the computer screen once again.

            The winner of the competition would receive twenty thousand yen and a photo shoot with theme of the winner’s costume. It also read that the Zunon Boy magazine was sponsoring the event – thus the photos opportunity – and models from their agency would be participating for the sake of good pictures.

            Tetsuhi briefly looked at Momoi and Midorima’s direction as the pair was a having a heated discussion about whether the green-haired shooter would or not wear a giant Piyo-chan costume, and stared back at the laptop. She clicked above the magazine’s name, reading the list of models that would be present.

              _Kise Ryōta_ was there.

            The petite girl wondered if the boy would manage to win with this fake smile of his.

* * *

 

            **T** rue to Momoi’s word, the girls appeared on the day of the competition with six perfect costumes. The boys sat on the couch, dreading their _destiny._

            Momoi pouted at their faces, “It’s not this bad, you jerks!” The _not this_ didn’t make them calmer.

            She presented the first clothes: a dark-green tailored suit, a white button-up shirt, a red tie, dark pants and a dark-blue wig. All in all, it looked like a normal high-school uniform.

           “This one is for Mukkun!” The pink-haired girl smiled and the purple-haired boy was relieved with his simple costume. The other freshmen looked at him with envy (except the Akashi twins) as it was pretty normal for a cosplay. “You character is Hirose Yuushin from _Hiyokoi_. Tetsuhi-chan was the one who thought of it, ‘cause of your height and everything.”

           Murasakibara turned to the way shorter preteen standing beside the other girl, “Thank you, Hime-chin.” And he really, really meant it.

           Tetsuhi held up a pair of blue pants, a brown belt and a white wig with its hair up, “Here, Aomine-kun.”

            The boy frowned, not sure if he was relieved or not.

            “My costume is… that?”

            The blue-haired preteen nodded, “Un. Satsuki-chan thought that Elfman Strauss from _Fairy Tail_ suited you as he’s a tanned character. I’ll make a fake tattoo on the left side of your neck after you wear it, okay?”

             Aomine agreed, also feeling that it could have been _way_ worse.

             Momoi smiled at Midorima, who gulped – he wasn’t nervous, he _was not_. But as she showed the group a pair of black pants, a white shirt, a green belly-warmer, black boots and three swords, adrenaline appeared to swim through his veins.

             “What is that?” The green-haired shooter tried not to stutter. _He wasn’t nervous!_

             The taller girl gave him the costume, gesturing to it, “It’s a Roronoa Zoro costume. The badass guy from _One Piece_ , you know? Ah, there’s a black bandanna that goes with it,” she hastily added, showing the piece of cloth. “He’s the silent type, so we thought that it matched you.”

             Tetsuhi, however, said in a sweet voice, “Although Midorima-kun isn’t as cool as Zoro.”

             The green-haired boy felt his heart totally die as the others snickered at his misfortune. By then, the group had gotten used to the small girl’s blunt way of talking.

            Tetsuhi was the one who gave her brother his costume. It included dark-colored trousers, a long-sleeved crimson coat, black sandals and a grey vest held in place by a strap over one shoulder. She held a gourd on her arms as her brother’s ones were full of clothes.

            “Your character is Sabaku no Gaara from _Naruto Shippūden_ ,” she explained with a smile. Her brother observed his costume with a certain interest. “I was aware of the fact that you wouldn’t want anything too fancy, so I thought that a silent character would suit you.”

            Momoi cheerfully added behind the girl, “There are blue-green contacts that you need to wear and a fake tattoo that Tetsuhi-chan will do for you, but, aside from that, it’s a complete cos–“ But she interrupted herself, turning to the smaller girl. “Tetsuhi-chan, what about the black-eye rings?”

            The only one who appeared to understand the question was the questioned girl, as she answered, “Oh, we didn’t think about it. We can do it with make-up.”

            _This_ statement the boys understood, as they tried to conceal their snickers from the older Akashi. It was just so funny the picture of Seijūro wearing make-up that they couldn’t control themselves.

            “What about you, Hime-chi, Momoi-chin?” Murasakibara asked, already wearing the top part of his costume as he had no problems with changing there. Akashi’s glare prevented him from changing his pants in front of the girls, though.

            Momoi _beamed_ , “I’m going to be Haruno Sakura from _Naruto_! Don’t we look like?” She held up an image of said character. In fact, both girls were pink-haired, though Momoi had her hair in a just-below-shoulder length. “Although I need to wear green contacts to pull it off perfectly,” she added.

            Tetsuhi was busy doing pigtails on the top of her head. Her teal hair, Seijūro noticed, had been smoothed, losing its curls on the end – and effectively passing hip-length with it.

            “Satsuki-chan thought that Hatsune Miku was a good choice for me, since I don’t need a wig or anything,” the petite girl explained, showing them a blue-hemmed, black skirt, a sleeveless gray shirt, a teal tie and mid-thigh socks.

            “And you’re going to be so cute in it!” Momoi squealed, hugging the girl and wronging one of the pigtails. “Ops, sorry, Tetsuhi-chan.”

            “It’s alright, Satsuki-chan,” the smaller girl sighed. It was difficult enough to pull her hair up without the other girl. She could do it, of course, but it was tiring to do it _herself_ , as it was too much her.

            Someone patted her head and she didn’t need to look to know it was her brother. He was the only boy who had come back from the other room and was already dressed.

            “Here, I’ll do it for you,” he smiled with his red eyes, taking the brush in his hands. In no time, her hair was up in two perfect pigtails.

            “Satsuki-chan will do the make-up for you since I don’t know how,” Tetsuhi said in an honest tone. The pink-haired girl wore make-up and she did not.

            Seijūro sighed, not really wanting this. Later, poor Aomine made the mistake of not controlling his laughter as he saw the older Akashi’s black-ringed eyes.

            He paid dearly.

* * *

 

            **T** etsuhi had never seen anything like this.

            The cosplay competition was being held in a park, which was full of costume-wearing people. There were lots of colors and creativity dancing around. There were lots of anime characters that she didn’t know about, as well as some characters from occidental movies. Tetsuhi herself wasn’t a fan of anime or mangas – simply because she didn’t much time to spare and enjoy it. But after seeing such a sight, it was truly inspiring.

            “Midorin, did you see this boy wearing a Piyo-chan costume? I told you it would be cute!” The pink-haired girl still hadn’t gotten over the fact that the green-haired shooter hadn’t wanted to look like a small baby chick.

            Aomine laughed at Midorima’s annoyed face. Momoi had used a tan spray over his skin to make it darker as Roronoa Zoro wasn’t as pale as him – and it was absolutely ridiculous. Instead of looking badass, the green-haired teen looked like a fake girl. The blue-haired ace couldn’t complain about his clothes – or rather the lack of them – as it was an okay cosplay… much better than Akashi’s black-ringed eyes, at least.

            “Aka-chin, there’s a food booth right there,” Murasakibara pointed to the left side of the park. “I’m hungry.”

            “We’ve just eaten, though,” the older twin said. He looked once at his friend face and sighed. “Alright, let’s go there.”

            Seijūro paused for a moment when he noticed that his sister was the only one not following him. She was standing still observing the park with searching eyes. He had to admit – not that it was difficult to do it anyway – that she was cute as Hatsune Miku and the color of her hair and eyes were perfect too.

            “Tetsu-hime?” The redhead called.

            She turned to him, “Huh? Oh,” the petite girl expressed as she noticed that her friends were walking away. “I’ll catch up with you guys in a few minutes, I have to check something first.”

            Seijūro narrowed his eyes, looking at her confident body language. Whatever it was, nothing would keep the girl from doing. If there was one thing that the redhead knew, it was that his sister wasn’t one to give up – and whichever thing she wanted to achieve would be achieved.

            “Right,” the taller Akashi agreed as the redhead knew that he was the only one who could give permission. “Be back in ten minutes or I’ll go search for you.”

            “Hai,” the tiny girl nodded, wandering off.

            Tetsuhi wanted to find that boy – Kise. She didn’t know why, but his fake smile bothered her a lot. The blue-haired girl wasn’t one to care about strangers, at least not for a long time. If there was something momentarily wrong with somebody, she’d help – if it was a long-term problem, it wasn’t _her_ problem. It seemed cold, but she had been raised this way.

            This boy, on the hand… Tetsuhi could tell he was feeling lonely. There were lots of girls surrounding him and – from her research – good grades in school too, but it was like shouting in silence. She could tell from his golden eyes that he wasn’t happy. The petite girl was a perceptive preteen as her basketball style – and even her lifestyle – required her to be.

            How did anyone not see it? Loneliness was written over his irises.

            Tetsuhi turned her head to the right as she saw a group of hysteric girls screaming at the tops of their lungs.

            “Kise-sama!”

            “Kawaii ne!”

            “Kise-sama, sign my forehead!”

            “ _Kyaaa!”_

Sure enough, Kise Ryōta was in the middle of this crowd, smiling charmingly at the costume-wearing girls around him. As the ad in the Internet said, models from the Zunon Boy were also participating – and the blond was wearing a dark-colored coat which exposed his bare chest and a crucifix hanging around his neck as well as black pants, gloves and boots.

            Tetsuhi could understand _why_ the girls were shouting so much, but she wasn’t one to be distracted from it or _care_ about it.

            The petite girl paused for a moment, thinking about how she would make the other girls scramble away, before her brilliant mind provided the answer. She mingled between the crowds of people with no difficulty as she was the smallest person present.

            Making her best fan-girly voice, she mustered up to say, “I heard that Ren-sama is doing a Sesshoumaru cosplay on the west side of the park!”

            “ _Kyaaaaa!”_ was the immediate reaction from the girls. They ran away in the indicated direction. Tetsuhi nodded to herself – Kise was a famous model, but his short career wasn’t enough to make him _the most_ famous from Zunon Boy.

            Now that she was close, Tetsuhi could see a black choker around the blond boy’s neck as well as indigo contact lenses over his eyes. He was carrying scythe bigger than Tetsuhi herself.

            “Hah, it’s you!” Kise exclaimed, pointed at her. By then, he didn’t even keep smiling toward her anymore as the blue-haired girl had told him to stop it twice.

            Tetsuhi nodded, “Hello, Kise-kun.”

            “You _do_ remember who I am,” he accused, shaking the scythe in his right hand to show his point.

            “Indeed I do,” Tetsuhi agreed in a soft voice. “May I ask about your costume?”

            Kise was distracted from his accusation, looking down at his own body, “Ah, this? My agent thought that Frau from _07 Ghost_ suited me. I’ve never watched the series, though. What about you? Isn’t that Hatsune Miku?”

            The petite girl nodded, “Un.”

            They stayed in silence for a moment, just observing each other.

            “Ne, Kise-kun, I’ve been meaning to ask you a question…”

            “What is it?” His voice was as cheerful as when he was faking it, but it was definitely smooth and velvet-like, even though he had sounded almost rude.

            “Why do you hide yourself behind a façade?”

            Tetsuhi wanted the answer desperately, because, this way, she’d be able to let go of the other boy and carry on with her life. Her mind didn’t let her forget about the blond boy’s fake smile, so she wanted to solve the mystery and forget it afterwards.

            Kise blinked, “Well, that’s what models do, right? Smile and wave at everyone, isn’t it?”

            The petite girl certainly wasn’t smiling as she observed the much taller boy with narrowed eyes.

            “Be honest with yourself,” Tetsuhi finally said something.

            “Huh?”

            “You’re fooling your own self when you fake a smile like that. Kise-kun doesn’t need to smile at everybody just because they expect you to… it’s painful to watch.”

            Kise was frowning, looking at the shorter preteen. She was cute like any other girl that came to talk to him, but different in other ways. Most girls blushed upon seeing his features, however, this one… She kept an expressionless face. It was as if she didn’t even care about his appearance. How unusual.

            “Well, I just wanted to know why you were smiling so much, if you’d excuse me now,” the petite girl said politely, bowing a little in courtesy.

            “W-wait!” Kise called as the girl was walking away.

            She turned back, questioningly staring at his.

            “What was your name again?” Kise was embarrassed that he had forgotten the name of a girl that had cared so much about his façade, but couldn’t feel really guilty about it. The girl had only told him her name once and she could blend in the background most of the time – how was he supposed to remember someone who had introduced oneself weeks ago?

            The blue-haired preteen didn’t appear fazed by his forgetfulness.

            “I am Akashi Tetsuhi, Kise-kun, and it was nice to meet you.”

            And she finally walked away. Kise observed her back as she ran toward a food booth where her apparent friends were waiting for her.

            “ _’Be honest with yourself’_ , huh? She’s funny girl… that Akashi Tetsuhi…” he mumbled to himself, deciding to find his agent. Kise wasn’t feeling like competing in this event anyway - much less now.

* * *

 

            In the end, none of them won the competition - not that Seijuro had bothered about it. Actually, it was a girl wearing a Erza Scarlet costume (from _Fairy Tail)_ that won it. Her clothes matched perfectly with the picture that the judges provided and everybody stood up to clap as she received the money, a trophy and a contract.

            “Wasn’t it fun?” Momoi asked as they walked toward the limo that Takahiro-san, the butler, had sent to fetch them.

            The problem was that everybody answered at the same time:

            “Whatever.”

            “There was food, Momoi-chin.”

            “I can’t believe you wanted me to wear a Piyo-chan costume!”

            “As long as Tetsuhi had fun.”

            “It was, Satsuki-chan.”

            The pink-haired was overwhelmed by the responses.

            Suddenly, Seijūro’s cellphone rang, “Hello?” He replied. “Yes, it’s Akashi. Shūzō-senpai –what is it? In the hospital? Yes – yes – we will. What…? Are you sure? Alright. Bye.” He turned his phone off, lifting his head to see his friends’ expectant faces.

            “What happened?” Midorima asked, having heard the word _hospital._

            “Haizaki broke both his legs,” the older Akashi didn’t beat around the bush. Aomine made a face at this. “One was the femur and the other both fibula and tibia.”

            “How did he manage to do it?” Momoi was also twisting her features just thinking about how painful that should be.

            The redhead’s lips were in thin, stern line, “Shūzo-senpai said that he was in fight with another boy. This error is going to cost 12 to 16 weeks of recovery and no basketball training.”

            “But the Winter Tournament preliminaries start during mid-October!” Aomine protested. Although none of them liked Haizaki, the other teen was part of their teen. Tetsuhi couldn’t play all four quarters with her fragile body.

            “To make matters worse,” Seijūro added and the group of freshmen groaned. “Shūzō-senpai is quitting the basketball club.”

            “ _What?”_ The other five freshmen said in unison, complete disbelief written over their faces. The redhead could understand why: not only it was a horrible time to be captain-less team, but Nijimura had been the only senpai that treated them well.

            The older Akashi looked through the car’s window as he spoke, “He said that his father got sick a week ago. _Seriously_ sick.”

            “But what about the team? It’s too much bad news at the same time!” Aomine whined in an uncharacteristic voice.

            Tetsuhi clutched his hand tightly and Seijūro was grateful for the support. She was the only one who noticed the sudden dark demeanor of his.

            “Shūzō-senpai said that he had been discussing this with Shirogane-sensei this past week and…” he hesitated so minimally only his twin sister noticed it. “… He decided to pass the captainship to me.”

            _“What?”_ They exclaimed once again, now with the exception of Tetsuhi.

            Momoi fingered her red dress as she was still wearing the Sakura costume. Almost shyly, she spoke to the older Akashi, “Not that I don’t trust you, Akashi-kun, but… isn’t it a little scary to go with a team solely made of freshmen to the Winter Tournament?”

            “What are you talking about, Satsuki?” Aomine demanded, looking angry. “We won the spring one with a team of freshmen.”

            “It’s not the same thing!” Momoi replied and Tetsuhi could see that she was on the verge of tears. “Nijimura-senpai was guiding the team and Haizaki-kun was there to sub Tetsuhi-chan when she got tired! And now?! The others senpai won’t play even if we beg!”

            She started sobbing and Midorima awkwardly patted her back, apparently having forgotten that this same girl wanted to dress him up as a giant baby chick hours ago.

            Tetsuhi looked down and felt her brother kiss her hair, murmuring, “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault that you have a frail body.” But she felt guilty all the same.

            The older Akashi straightened his back, “Satsuki, stop crying – we’ll manage somehow. All of us have incredible abilities and we’ll train like we’ve never trained before. And about Shūzō’s former strategies… We don’t to worry about that. Tetsu-hime and I have, after all, an incredible mind for this task.”

             Midorima frowned, “I believe in you, Akashi, since I’ve seen you playing shogi countless times, but is Akashi-chan as good as you?”

            The older Akashi laughed as the other freshmen observed his reaction.

            “What’s so funny, Aka-chin? Mido-chin’s question was a good one.”

            Tetsuhi remained expressionless as her brother answered.

            “Nothing, nothing,” the redhead said, waving his hand in disregard. “I didn’t want to tell you about it, but I suppose there’s no other way. In terms of intelligence quotient – well, Tetsu-hime has a much higher one.”

            “Hah?” Aomine made, confused.

            Akashi smirked, “I put in a way that even you can understand, Daiki: Tetsuhi is more intelligent than any middle-schooler and strategies are her forte. Did you get that?”

            Aomine – and the others – certainly did.

            With this solved, there was only one problem left in this crisis – who would substitute the blue-haired girl once she got tired? They couldn’t play with only four players on court.

            They were in silence for the rest of the ride.


	10. A Genius's Plan

**Chapter 9: A Genius’s Plan**

* * *

People tended to badly underestimate Akashi Tetsuhi.

            Not only because she was a small girl, but also because she had a _very_ scary big brother – and, truthfully, who would think of a tiny girl as a monster when she had her _demon_ twin right beside her?

            Seijūro had been speaking the truth when he said that Tetsuhi had an IQ higher than his – that fact was certainly proved days later when summer break came to an end and their basketball practice started once again.

            Nijimura-senpai wasn’t going to school yet, but Shirogane-sensei announced the new captain of the team. Needless to say, none of the first-stringers were happy and their treatment toward their underclassmen only got worse. It was better being ignored than teased mercilessly (though the older Akashi put a quick end to almost any problem).

            And there was still missing one player in their starter line. Like Aomine predicted, none of the senpai wanted to play in the game – not if the only reason they were playing was because of some freshman not going. Midorima strongly voiced his annoyance at their stupidity, but kept quiet when the new captain ordered him to.

            The upperclassmen were bitter. So, after ten days analyzing the mildly satisfactory skills of second-stringers and very irritated first-stringers, Seijūro asked his sister to devise a plan. And Tetsuhi’s idea surprisingly came from her P.E. classes.

            In Teikou Middle School, each physical education class was taken with another classroom as not to waste much time with it. Tetsuhi’s 1-B class had been mixed with Midorima and Haizaki’s one – but this trimester she, Aomine and Momoi ended up with Kise in the gym. Not that the middle two _knew_ about it.

            People didn’t give much credit to Tetsuhi’s observant eyes, but she could grasp details almost as good as her brother could – and it wasn’t very hard for her to figure out Kise’s _talent._ At first, she was surprised to see that the fake-smiling boy was _this_ good in football. However, when the teacher decided to play volleyball, he also exceled in it. And, on the same day that Seijūro requested a plan from her, their P.E. class played table tennis.

           The petite girl saw the way that Kise’s eyes analyzed his opponents’ movements and perfectly copied them – the way that his muscles moved as if he could command them simply by wishing.

            And that got her thinking.

            She – the _basketball team –_ needed someone to sub in her place when the blue-haired girl got tired, but none of the second-stringers were up to the task and the senpai… They _really_ needed someone.

            Tetsuhi began planning as soon as the next class, Math, started. Seijūro didn’t ask about it again as he was aware of his deeply thinking sister, but the others members of the club were worried about it – even though they tried not to show.

            When September finally arrived, Tetsuhi was sure that her idea would work smoothly to her favor. It took two weeks of calm analyzing (and a little bit of stalking) to be sure of Kise’s schedules. The boy always left school twenty five minutes after class had ended – on Wednesdays and Thurdays the blond went through the east gate, but during the rest of the days of the week he walked to his agency, which required him to go through the west gate. The tiny girl also had to observe his route and was content with the fact that Kise had to pass right beside gym number two as it made things easier.

            When her plan was finally ready to be executed, her brother was the only one who noticed her unusual good mood.

* * *

 

            Training was going as hard as always. The new captain had removed the twenty minutes that the players formerly had before practice, exchanging them for five counted-on-the-clock minutes to change their uniforms to sports clothes and enter the court. Fifteen minutes later, most of them were ready to drop dead.

            The regulars kept dribbling and passing basketballs between themselves, knowing that if Seijūro came back from his reunion with Sanada-sensei and saw them on the ground like the rest of the first-stringers… Well, things would turn out _very_ bad.

            Tetsuhi was counting the minutes on her head and – sure enough as her plans never failed – when twenty five hit the mark, one oblivious Kise Ryōta passed beside the gym’s open doors. She passed the ball to Aomine, purposely missing it and making it look like an accident.

            “Sorry,” she said to her dark blue-haired teammate, who grinned and waved in disregard.

            “No problem, I’ll get it,” he jogged out the gym, coming back a few seconds later. He was rubbing his neck. “Ne, Tetsu, you should be more careful, you hit a guy out there right in the head.”

            The smallest member of the club didn’t even blush in embarrassment – not that anyone expected her to.

            “Ah, I understand,” Tetsuhi murmured, receiving the pass from her teammate. Her powder-blue eyes caught a blond head observing the group of freshmen from the doors. She smiled softly at Aomine. “What about practicing some shooting and alley-loops?”

            “Yeah!” The boy promptly agreed. Midorima pushed his glasses up, which was how Tetsuhi knew that he was happy as well (he was the shooter of the team, after all). Murasakibara said nothing, just going with the flow as always.

            Tetsuhi looked at Kise’s wide eyes once again, well aware of the fact that he probably couldn’t even see her, but knowing that he was impressed with their game. After all, there was nothing more impressive than Teikou’s regulars’ basketball playing. And she knew this – thus the reason for orchestrating such a plan.

            She turned her back to the doors, uncharacteristically smirking.

* * *

 

            Two days later, Seijūro commented during dinner about how a certain Kise Ryōta enrolled in the basketball club. Tetsuhi tilted her head, showing nothing more than polite curiosity and murmuring something that sounded like _“I hope he does well_ ”. Her brother wasn’t fooled.

            Truthfully, even years later, Seijūro continued being the only one who was aware of her plan. To the rest of their friends, Kise entered the team simply because of sheer coincidence after seeing them play one day. To the Akashi twins, it was a carefully laid idea. Either way, the redhead was satisfied with his sister.

            It didn’t take many weeks to see that Tetsuhi’s choice was a good one. The blond model went from the third to the second string in less than one week, and advanced to the first one by the end of September.

            Needless to say, Kise was cheerful in his first training with the senpai and the regulars.

            “This is Kise Ryōta,” Seijūro introduced the blond beside him, who waved friendly. “He’s going to train with us from now on.”

            If the blond saw their upperclassmen’s glares, he masterfully ignored them.

            “Start the usual workout,” the redhead captain ordered and they immediately started running around the court. Tetsuhi was going to as well, but her brother’s voice stopped her, “Except you, Tetsuhi. I have a duty for you.”

            She went closer, reading her twin’s intention in his eyes. Kise observed her and his eyes widened when he finally noticedher presence. The petite girl could practically read the words _“the girl that kept saying fake smile, fake smile”_ in his lips.

            “Ryōta, this is Akashi Tetsuhi – she’ll be your instructor until she deems you independent enough,” Seijūro explained. He turned to the blond, a stern expression in his face and said freshman tried not to take a step back. “You are to obey her orders; should I hear of you disrespecting her, there’ll be consequences.”

            “H-Hai,” came the stuttered response.

            “Good,” and the scary captain went to reunite with the other players.

            Tetsuhi tried not to roll her eyes at her brother’s commanding personality.

            “Ne, you never told me that you were in the basketball club, Akashi-san,” Kise said and the girl noticed the lack of a smile. His features were twisted in a simple curious expression.

            The tiny freshman raised one eyebrow, “I’ve never talked casually with you, have I? I don’t recall having a bad memory.”

            Kise’s cheeks tinted pink, but it soon faded to their normal colors.

            “Mou ~,” he pouted. “There’s no need to be so mean, Akashi-san. Ne, ne, can I call you Akashi-chan?”

            Tetsuhi started walking out of the gym and the blond dutifully followed, practically bouncing on his heels.

            “You may not,” she answered, taking a clipboard with her to take notes of Kise’s progress and errors.

            “Eh? Why not?” A pout once again. Tetsuhi wondered how much of it was truthful.

            “I am your instructor, not your girlfriend, Kise-kun.”

            The boy stopped in his tracks for a moment, before continuing his walk, “That’s so mean of you, Akashi- _sensei_.”

            “I would not to be teased, Kise-kun. Run forty laps around the gym, would you?” But it wasn’t a real question. You see, Tetsuhi had the same gift of her brother: making people obey her. While her twin used his scary personality, she used her politeness and implicit promise of worse consequences if not obeyed – the famous _or else_.

            The blond eep’ed, before starting to run. Kise wasn’t sure of what he was more afraid of: his sadistic, short instructor or her demon of (apparently as he wasn’t sure) brother. Both of them were bad genius enough separately.


	11. Akashi-san

 

**Chapter 10: Akashi-san**

* * *

**  
**

            **“A** ominecchi,” Kise called someday during October. “What kind of person is Akashi-san?”

            The blue-haired ace stopped yawning to look at his companion. Both of them were in their physical education class – the only one they had together. As the teacher assigned a free time, there was nothing to do. Satsuki had disappeared with Tetsuhi and both boys were left doing nothing.

            “Why do you ask that?”

            “Well, it’s just that she…”

            “Ah, you’re talking about Tetsu – I thought you were talking about Akashi,” Aomine commented, now more interested in what the blond had to say.

            Said boy slightly pouted, “Akashicchi is Akashicchi, and Akashi-san is Akashi-san,” he explained as if that made the utmost sense.

            The blue-haired player raised one eyebrow.

            “Why do you call Tetsu _Akashi-san_? I thought you added _cchi_ to everybody you respected or whatever.”

            Kise nodded in agreement.

            “I do add _cchi_ to any person I respect, but it’s just… well, Akashi-san is my instructor and… eh… she’s so small, I guess?” Seeing Aomine’s questioning gaze, he continued. “I mean, she isn’t all that talented in basket, is she? I mean, she trains me, but I haven’t seen her play a game once.”

            Aomine hit the back of his head, “That’s ‘cause she’s been training you the last two weeks, stupid.”

            “Mou~!” Kise complained, rubbing his neck. “I know, I know. But, even so, why is she on the first-string? Is it because of her bro-“

            “ _Don’t say it!”_ Aomine warned – partially because he was angry with the supposition, partially because he was afraid of what Akashi would do to the blond if he heard this. The redhead was scary as Hell. “Anyway, Tetsu is on the first-string ‘cause she deserves to be. She has the brain and the ability.”

            “The brain?”

            “Yeah,” Aomine said, observing his two females friends who had finally appeared. “She’s the one who make the training menus and Akashi trusted her to help with the strategies when the Winter Tournament starts next week.”

            “Wait, she’s a regular?” Kise couldn’t believe it. This tiny girl would play in a game? She’d be massacred.

            Aomine smirked at him, “Believe or not, Kise, she played during the Spring Tournament, and we won.”

            “But I heard that the Winter Tournament is ‘The Nationals’ for middle-school basketball!”

            “And we’re gonna win,” Aomine said with so much confidence that Kise couldn’t disagree.

* * *

 

            “Midorimacchi, what kind of person is Akashi-san?” Kise asked someone once again about it, now during lunch time.

            The green-haired shooter had been grabbing a red bean soup from the machine when the blond saw him.

           “Don’t call me that, Kise,” said boy deadpanned. “And why do you want to know about Akashi? He doesn’t like nosy people.”

            To his surprise, the blond threw his arms up, exasperated.

            “Why does everybody think I’m talking about Akashicchi? I’m asking you about his sister, though.”

            Midorima narrowed his eyes imperceptibly. Truthfully, no regular or first-stringer called Tetsuhi ‘Akashi-san’, because it got confusing after sometime. The group of freshmen all had nicknames for her and the most formal one was from the green-haired teen himself – _Akashi-chan_. You couldn’t blame them for confusing the twins when Kise spoke like that.

            “Either way, why are you asking me about her?”

            “It’s just that she’s my instructor, but…” The blond trailed off, not sure of how to say it. The blue-haired ace was his friend to a certain degree, but Midorima appeared to hate him.

            The taller boy adjusted his glasses on his face, “You shouldn’t think too much about it. Akashi-chan deserves to be on the team and that’s it.” He turned his back to the blond, leaving his alone.

            And Kise still couldn’t figure it out. The petite girl doubtlessly had good observation skills as she proved herself when pointing out his fake smile – physical ability, however, was another whole story.

           It was true that ever since the blue-haired preteen became his instructor, she hadn’t played in any game during training – but then again, so hadn’t he. They spent most of their time in the open court by the third gym doing stamina and basic technique practice. And from what Kise had seen, Akashi-san had almost no resistance.

           How could she deserve her place if she couldn’t even keep up?

* * *

 

            The answer came three days before the start of the preliminaries. The captain apparently had scheduled a game with another school and Kise was supposed to go as the only first-stringer. He was a little lost as to why, but Tetsuhi – who accompanied the second-stringers’ team as the responsible one – explained that if he was going to play during the tournament, Kise needed experience.

            The blond couldn’t believe that the redhead twin scheduled a match just for this reason.

            It turned out that the school they were supposed to play was relatively good against their team – even though it would badly lose against the regulars. Surprisingly (or not so much), the younger Akashi had been the one to choose their opponents.

           It was during the break between the second and third quarter that Kise got a glimpse of Tetsuhi’s strategy skills.

            “Osamu-kun, you need to be faster on your decisions,” she advised and, to Kise’s surprise, the boy promptly nodded, accepting the tip. “The point guard of the other team is good when deciding the pass route, but his ball handling is average. Focus on that.”

            The blue-haired girl turned to the actual center of the team, who had been a third-string until the start of the trimester, “Nobuo-kun, you’re not getting the rebounds, even though you’re, at least, ten centimeters taller than the other center. Get them or get out.” The words were harsh, though spoken with a soft voice. The boy nodded, trembling.

            As she turned to Kise, he gulped. His instructor could be _very_ scary when she wanted.

            “You’re doing pretty well, Kise-kun, keep it up,” she complimented with a small smile and the blond was almost happy – until the petite girl added, “However, should you keep missing easy shoots like the last ones… your training will double when we go back.”

            The blond groaned inwardly. Maybe the tiny girl was on the team because she was a closet sadist? The redhead captain appeared to be one as well – perhaps that’s why he liked her.

            “The game is starting again. Kitamura-kun, I’ll be substituting you as the power forward,” Tetsuhi commented, adjusting her wristbands. “Kise-kun, pay attention to the ball, please.”

            “Huh, why–“ He started asking, but the buzzer announced the start of the third quarter.

            And that’s when things began to get weird.

            Truthfully speaking, Kise – and all the other players – forgot the smallest players as soon as the first point was shot. She was the only girl playing, but her small built and weak presence made it an easy task. Two minutes into the quarter and – suddenly, inexplicably – the ball landed on Kise’s hands. He shot it, of course, as strange as it was.

            From then on, the basketball started going around Teiko’s second-string team as if there was a phantom on the court. The blond only noticed what was happening when he saw Tetsuhi – petite, no-stamina Akashi-san – hitting the ball to Takeda Osamu, who passed to their shooting guard.

            “What type of basketball is that?” Kise quietly asked his instructor between the minutes they had to calm down – fourth quarter would soon begin.

            Tetsuhi drank from her water bottle, aware of the fact that her brother _would_ somehow know if she did not.

            “It’s one of the styles I play,” she easily shrugged off the question.

            “ _One of_?” Kise couldn’t believe, couldn’t believe. Midorimacchi and Aominecchi were right when they told him that Tetsuhi deserved her place on the team. Her passes and steals were absolutely amazing. One minute she was there and the other, well, not.

            Tetsuhi nodded, hardly fazed by the blond boy’s surprised expression.

            “I have three types: this one, the style that I use when playing with my brother and my own – though Sei-nii is the only person who has seen the last.”

            Kise frowned, “But why so many?”

            “No particular reason,” Tetsuhi sipped her water once again. “The style that I play with Seijūro wasn’t planned or anything – it’s just that we understand each other without speaking.”

            The blond had seen it before – everybody in Teiko had at some point. The twins could hold an entire conversation without opening their mouth. According to Aomine, they also could complete each other’s phrases – but they only did it when threatening someone. Kise wasn’t especially anxious to see this.

            “About my steals and passes, well…” The girl hesitated, which was uncommon. Most of the time, she had no problems transforming her thoughts into words. “My brother says that I’m support-type player, and it’s true. Even my own style revolves around that, but the _Phantom_ style is just for deception.”

            “Deception?” Kise tilted his head, sweat over his forehead.

            Suddenly, the petite preteen twisted her lips, forming what appeared to be a smirk, “Yes, Kise-kun, deception. My brother and I like to trick people into thinking untruthful facts, such as when you kept asking our teammates about my questionable ability in basketball.”

            “Y-You knew about t-t-that?” The blond screeched with his entire face turning beet-red.

            Tetsuhi’s blue eyes carried a mischievous feeling, “Of course I did.” And she stood up as the buzzer announced the fourth quarter.

* * *

 

            It was six minutes and half into the last quarter when _it_ happened.

            Kise couldn’t be sure if anyone else had noticed – honestly speaking, he himself wasn’t certain about what happened. Tetsuhi had cut between a pass route as usual, however, instead of passing to someone else, she grabbed the ball with both her hands. In fact, everybody _saw_ her agility and incredible ball-handling ability – to the Teiko’s players, it look almost like Aomine’s wild basketball, though somewhat graceful. But only Kise saw something else.

            It was the way that Tetsuhi’s tiny fingers dribbled the ball, in the way she ran toward the hoop, even in the way she breathed. Kise had observant eyes due to his copy ability, and could see it all. Her play style was – in one insufficient word – _beautiful._ If the blond had to comment about the origin of her movements, he’d say they came from street ball, but it was much more than this.

            Differently from pure basketball, street ball was full of unnecessary feints and dribbles. Tetsuhi’s play, on the other hand, wasted no time – she took the ball and did what she had to. She was quick and could practically _pirouette_ on her feet to turn away from the opponents in front of her, even making it appear as if she planned it all from the beginning. And, wonderstruck, Kise realized that it indeed _had been_ planned from the start, the very moment she intercepted the pass.

            But how did she do it? How could she make basketball appear so _effortless?_

            As the younger Akashi was way too short to dunk, she shot the ball – and even this simple act was amazing. The way the orange object flew from the tips of her thin fingers and soared through the air before perfectly falling right in the middle of the basket.

            The game continued as if nothing happened and Tetsuhi didn’t make anything more than pass and steal once again, but Kise couldn’t forget the way her entire being moved in that moment. He doubted he ever would. These eight seconds made him want to play basketball for the rest of his life.

            Much later, alone at a street court, Kise tried copying the way she played – after all they were normal movements in the sport. There had been no special high-arcs, or monster blocks, or weird flexibility-agility combination. No – the way her body moved was completely normal.

            But Kise couldn’t copy it. He tried to dribble, and shoot, and run. His arms and legs didn’t move the way he wanted anymore, even though his mind played the scene again. There was no way he could be as graceful as the tiny player had been, no way could he plan ahead this meticulously.

            Breathing deeply with sweat pouring over his body, the blond teen understood why the small preteen deserved her place in the team.


	12. Back to Ugly

**Chapter 11: Back to Ugly**

* * *

 

            “No can do, Kise!” Aomine drawled, annoyed. “That’s the _eighth_ time that you confuse us!”

            The blond boy pouted quite childishly (not that the team wasn’t used by now), “I’m sorry, Aominecchi, but it’s not my fault that Akashi-san has the same name as her brother!”

            The third gymnasium of their school was occupied by the regulars of the basketball team. They had been training their asses off these last days as the Winter Tournament started the day after tomorrow, November 24th. The preliminaries had gone by without much trouble, despite their weaknesses – and Kise’s annoying tendency to amateur mistakes. Tetsuhi had been her instructor – and still was – but could only teach him so much without proper experience.

            The actual problem was the new player’s form of addressing his teammates. Although most of them (Midorima, Aomine and Akashi) hated when _cchi_ was added to their name, not even the redhead had shaken the habit off of Kise. The rest (Momoi and Murasakibara) didn’t care either way. Tetsuhi was the only one without a special nickname, even though the blond had started respecting her after mid-October.

            This took them to their situation.

            “Urghh, just make up some ridiculous nickname and get over it!” Aomine growled in annoyance. Truthfully speaking, even calm Tetsuhi was getting irritated as well. Sure that they _knew_ that when Kise said ‘Akashi-san’ he meant her, but it was instinctive to look at the blond at the same time her twin did.

            Kise huffed indignantly.

            “My nicknames are not ridiculous!”

            Midorima snorted and even Murasakibara had to stop eating for a brief second, if only to show his incredulity.

            “They aren’t stupid, Ki-chan,” Momoi tried to sooth the boys. “They’re just… different.”

            Akashi – the older one – sighed impatiently, which was never a good signal. The tournament started tomorrow and they had to finish this routine, couldn’t they understand that? Fortunately for the rest of the freshmen, his sister put her small hand on his arm, placating any mean thoughts he had.

            “So mean~” Kise complained once again. Midorima adjusted his glasses – his way of _not_ face-palming.

            Tetsuhi decided to end the fight, “Kise-kun, can’t you just call me something else? Just call me Akashi-chan and let’s get over it.”

            The blond wanted to agree, but Seijūro’s glare over his sister shoulder told – _ordered, commanded –_ him not to. The blond wasn’t sure himself how Midorima or Aomine could call the smallest player ‘Akashi-chan’ and ‘Tetsu’ without getting killed. Well, Momoicchi called her Tetsuhi-chan, but they were girls, and Murasakibara with his Hime-chin were practically inoffensive.

           Why did they all pick on him?

            “Call her Tetsuhicchi then,” Satsuki suggested, also noticing the glare from the older twin. She was the only one who thought it was rather cute the way Seijūro protected his younger sister.

            Kise shook his head, “But this sound silly!”

            Aomine threw his arms up, “All of them sound idiot, idiot!”

            “Don’t call me idiot, stupid!”

            “Haaah, what did you call me, _Kise?”_

            “Exactly what you heard, _Aominecchi!”_

            Tetsuhi was the second one to sigh in impatience and exasperation. She really couldn’t understand how the pair could be good friends and the worst enemies at the same time. Aomine was a hot-headed, lazy, basketball freak and Kise was a childsish, seldom serious, air-headed model. Not the best combination.

            They played one-on-one against each other every day and the blond had yet to win, thus resulting in a never ending rivalry.

            Sometimes, she wished her brother hadn’t made her Kise’s instructor – it was too handful to take care of him. But then again, she was the only one – besides the captain, of course – who could control Aomine, she might as well control Kise.

            “Stop it, you two,” the petite girl said with a calm voice that promised anything but eternal pain to anyone who kept talking. Both teens shut up at once. “Aomine-kun, even though it confuses us, Kise has the liberty to call us however he wants to. Kise-kun, _please,_ find some way to address me.”

            “Yeah, yeah,” the blue-haired ace mumbled.

            “You only need to say it once,” Momoi shouted at her best friend, hitting his head.

            “Hai, Himecchi,” Kise agreed wholeheartedly, always trying to impress his teacher.

            Everybody paused.

            “Himecchi?” The question came from all mouths, even Murasakibara’s full one or the twins’ bewildered ones.

            Kise crossed his arms, “You told me to find a nickname so I did, right?”

            Seijūro wasn’t anymore happy with _Himecchi_ that he was with _Akashi-chan_ \- seeing this fact, the blond raised his hands up in an innocent act.

            “Akashicchi, you call her Hime all the time and so does Murasakicchi,” he tried to argument.

            The redhead’s fingers were twitching for her newest weapon: a pair of scissors. Tetsuhi only breathed out as if tired from all this stupidity, “Onii-san, let it be. Kise-kun, good work.”

            Before the former could obey like a puppy to his sister’s cute requesting voice or the latter could nod happily to his instructor’s praise, a voice spoke all across the entrance of the gym, “Why do you even train?”

            As one, the group of freshmen turned around to see Haizaki Shōgo at the door. Except for Seijūro and Tetsuhi who had gone to the hospital to see their teammate’s condition, none of them had bothered to visit him. They were sure Haizaki wouldn’t bother doing the same for them. As the gray-haired boy had spent the last weeks in a white room with casts in both legs, it was surprising to see him up and around.

            Recalling their conversation, Midorima supposed it _was_ around the time for Haizaki to come back. After all, Akashi did say that the former regular wouldn’t be able to come back for the preliminaries, only to the tournament itself.

            Aomine was the first to speak, quite fiercely too, “Differently from you, we want to get better.” And from his tone of voice anyone could tell that he was still irritated with the other’s bullying attitude.

            Haizaki snorted.

            “I _can’t_ get better,” he declared, as if it was obvious.

            “Of course you cannot,” Midorima pushed his glasses up his nose. “You don’t have that much talent.” The statement wasn’t completely true nor was it completely false. Haizaki was good in basketball – good enough to have been one of the regulars of Teiko. However, he was lazy, and laziness never mixed well with physical activities.

            “You…” Haizaki made mentions of coming forward to hit the green-haired shooter, but Murasakibara stood in front of said boy.

            “Don’t be mean, Haizaki,” he warned – if his drawling voice could be considered a warning. His lack of suffix spoke volumes about their relationship.

            The gray-haired teen, not finding a way to bully their shooter, rolled his eyes around before stopping them on Kise. He started smirking – and Tetsuhi’s insides immediately twisted. His smirk was never a good thing.

            “Oh, who is he? I didn’t know you started keeping pets while I was gone,” the teen taunted.

            Kise was about to speak, but Tetsuhi put her hand over his hand as she softly talked to the much bigger player, “His name is Kise Ryōta. He plays in your position for now.”

            Said blond was a little taken back at how much it hurt to her the smallest regular say _for now_. Had he gotten _this_ attached to the team?

            Haizaki narrowed his eyes.

            “Why would you need someone in my position?” The way he asked the question, however, was as if he already knew the answer. His taunting confirmed this impression, “Oh, yeah, Itty Bitty Tetsuhi can’t keep up with the big boys, isn’t it?”

            From Seijūro’s expression, one could say that he’d be glad to pierce the gray-haired teen with his – and a thousand more – pair of scissors. No one could talk about his baby sister like that, much less in front of him!

            Tetsuhi didn’t appear to be much affected, just keeping her expressionless face.

            “Well, puppy,” Haizaki told Kise, who, for once, didn’t act childishly and glared back,”you can’t scramble away now. The original version is back.”

            “Original version?” The blond managed to blurt out between his clenched teeth.

            “The original small forward,” Haizaki clarified as if speaking with a child. A dumb one.

            Aomine, Murasakibara, Momoi and Murasakibara kept quiet, aware that if they breathed too loudly Akashi might snap. And an angry Seijūro never was a good sight. Right now, Tetsuhi’s delicate hand was the only thing holding the redhead back.

            Suddenly, the bullying teen smiled maliciously, “Of course,” he started in a fake cheerful tone, “You can always play one-on-one against me and determine the best of us. I suppose Akashi would only want the strongest one in his team, after all.”

            “I accep–“

            “You shall not, Kise-kun,” Tetsuhi rarely interrupted. Everybody’s eyes were on her small frame and stubborn voice. “You may have gotten much better these last weeks and at a really fast pace, but right now, you’re no match to Haizaki-kun.”

            It hurt. Kise had to admit it to himself. Hell, it hurt a lot. He had been trying so hard to impress his instructor this past month. She made him work hard and never treated him unfairly. The tiny freshman pointed out his weakness, but knew when to praise his best abilities. She was kind in her own way – and, damn it, it _hurt_.

            The blond had to swallow hard, because he couldn’t cry – not in front of everyone, not in front of Tetsuhi. Not even if her comment hurt, for she had been gentle toward him more than anyone.

            Haizaki smirked, his mouth twisting unpleasantly over his teeth, “It must be so sad to have teammates who don’t believe in your ability.”

            Kise clenched his jaw, knowing that what he was about to do was very, very stupid.

            “Whatever, let’s play.”

            He ignored Tetsuhi’s sigh or Seijūro’s disapproving glance. The elder twin indeed had warned him about disobeying his instructor, but the blond couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment.

          A few minutes later, Kise wished he had swallowed his pride and accepted – felt grateful even – for the blue-haired girl’s intervention.

* * *

 

            Two days later, Tetsuhi entered the court with a bad impression. She had gotten used to feeling this way whenever Haizaki was around, but also forgot this sensation after the teen spent so many weeks in the hospital. Now that it was back, her instinct kept telling her that something horrible would happen.

            The petite girl absent-mindedly raised her hand, showing the referee that Teiko’s fifth player was there. Her eyes darted around the stadium where the official tournament was being held, but didn’t manage to find any person with golden eyes and hair.

            “Tetsu-hime,” her brother murmured beside her, too low for the others. The small girl understood the message, snapping out of whichever trance she had been and starting to pay attention to the game just as the basketball was thrown up and Murasakibara hit it to Aomine.

            Still, she wished Kise had come as it was much easier to have him substituting her than Haizaki Shōgo. And a part of her could even say that she had wanted to see if his new nickname was catchy.

            But the blond wasn’t there. Of course not – not after his humiliating defeat against the gray-haired opponent. Tetsuhi had been right: Haizaki was too strong for Kise at the moment. They had similar talents, but the former was more experienced. There had been no doubt to who would win.

            Tesuhi also wished her student hadn’t ignored her. It hurt a little that he had dismissed her advice so easily – truthfully, it stung much more than Haizaki’s taunting ‘itty bitty Tetsuhi’.

            A chance to steal a pass presented itself and she wasted no time in getting the ball. Their opponent was a team that hadn’t played in the summer tournament, thus hadn’t played against Teiko. They were more than incredulous at the sudden appearance of a player or, for those with horrible eyesight, change of pass-route.

            Sometime during the second quarter, Tetsuhi thought that she saw a glimpse of a gold-haired head, but it was gone the next moment. This cost the ball and the other team’s next point. She sighed when the coach asked for a substitution, subbing her out. Even he could tell that she was distracted.

            The glance her brother threw at her spoke volumes. He wasn’t mad – no one truly was as the petite girl could be more than useful on bench with her strategies – but was warning her. He knew what was troubling her mind, even if she wasn’t sure herself.

            Tetsuhi drank half of her bottle of water before turning to Momoi, forcing her mind to analyze the stats of the other players. She needed to pay attention to the game or they’d lose. They didn’t have Nijimura-senpai to create plans anymore while they were playing on the court; she was the one responsible for it alongside Momoi, Seijūro and the coach.

            Still, it hurt getting back to ugly.


	13. But Keep the Scarf, Please

**Chapter 12: But keep the scarf, please**

* * *

**  
**

            Tetsuhi rubbed her tiny hands, trying to preserve their warmth inside the gloves. It was December and winter holidays had just started the day before. At the moment, the blue-haired girl was trying not to freeze while waiting for her music teacher – however, the red jacket wasn’t enough to heat her body.

            Seijūro wasn’t home – he was away in a one-day business trip with their father – to tell her to change clothes and the maids were too busy cleaning the house. Tetsuhi raised her head from under the blankets she was hiding under and got up from the sofa to discover who had rang the bell.

            Opening the front door, she was surprised to see Kise. Tetsuhi hadn’t seen the blond ever since he was defeated by Haizaki. He had never appeared at the school gym again to be trained by her or to play against Aomine. Even if he was annoying, she had somehow missed his whiny demands and childish smiles.

            Kise was anything but smiling childishly in that moment.

            “Kise-kun?” Tetsuhi asked, confused.

            The blond was soaking wet from the rain outside, as if it wasn’t cold enough already. His golden hair was plastered to his forehead – and he could be annoyingly handsome even so – as well as his cardigan to his arms. The silver earring he wore shone with water drops.

            “Akashi-san,” he murmured, sounding _so, so_ sad.

            Tetsuhi’s lips frowned as she heard the way he called her.

            “You may enter, Kise-kun, or you’ll catch a cold,” she suggested, leaving the door open for him.

            He muttered a low _Thanks_ and stepped inside. Tetsuhi went to the guest’s bathroom on the first floor and brought him a towel to dry himself. Kise looked really awful. Had he been this way since November? She couldn’t remember seeing him. She _had_ seen mobs of fan girls everywhere he went, of course, but even in their joined P.E. classes the boy had managed to pull a disappearing act.

            “Why were you out in the rain, Kise-kun?” She asked, tilting her head sideways.

            He looked down at her. _Has he grown_? Tetsuhi wondered. Kise used to be smaller than Aomine, but now it was hard to tell. How can someone grow so much in one month?

            “I wanted to walk around a little,” Kise commented, shaking the water off his hair with the towel.

            Tetsuhi dropped her poker face to make an exasperated expression, “In this cold? It’s 0ºC outside!” She scolded him for his stupidity.

            He smiled a little and Tetsuhi was thankful to see her stude- ex-student grinning once again.

            “I wanted to see Himecchi,” he admitted and his grin morphed to a full childish twist of lips with his pearly-white teeth showing.

            Tetsuhi was sure she was blushing, for her face felt hot. She ducked her head and looked away, “Idiot.”

            “Waah? So cruel,” he whined, not realizing the red tint on her cheeks.

            They stayed in silence for a few minutes – Kise trying to be less wet and not to shiver from the coldness seeping inside his clothes, and Tetsuhi trying to take her blush down.

            “Do you want a change of clothes? I’m sure the maids can’t arrange something.”

            Kise shook his head, “I don’t want to be a bother.”

            Tetsuhi tugged the hem of his shirt, dragging him to her and her brother’s room.

            “It won’t be a bother at all. If you keep wearing _this_ ,” she indicated his layers of wet clothes, that made him look like a lost puppy, “you’ll _definitely_ catch a cold.”

            They entered the room and Kise observed around. The right side screamed _Tetsuhi_ while the other one was all Akashicchi. Even if beds and space around it were decorated differently, the siblings managed to make it look cool and elegant.

            “Here,” Tetsuhi came back. “Rin found some clothes from my father that should fit you.”

            Kise flushed, “Your father won’t be happy, Himecchi.”

            “He won’t even notice,” the girl shrugged, sitting on her bed. Her feet cutely hanged over the floor. “Too many clothes on his closet to any of them be of any importance.”

            Kise thanked her again and went to the adjacent bathroom to change. He eyed the black jeans, as well as the white polo shirt and the dark blue V-neck jumper. It was a good match, something his coworkers would wear. Had Tetsuhi chosen it herself? The girl didn’t look like she cared about fashion, but she _did_ dress beautifully. Even her actual light blue sweater, red overcoat, skinny jeans and black boots were pretty on her.

            He changed his clothes, carefully tying the woolen scarf around his neck. It was cold as hell outside and Kise was glad for the clothes. Getting out of the bathroom, the blond noticed the blue-haired girl looking for something inside her closet. Her blue curls were cascading until the small of her back.

            _Her hair_ , he thought absentmindedly, _it had grown a lot_.

            Tetsuhi entered the room once again and asked him to lean down a little. For some strange reason, his heart started to race inside his chest. _Weird_ , Kise wondered, feeling puffs of breath hit Tetsuhi shoulder. He had to lean really, really down to let her put something over his head.

            “All set,” she announced, stepping back a little.

            He touched his head, feeling a woolen bonnet over it. It was made his ears warm.

            “Thanks,” Kise smiled at Tetsuhi, patting her head. When she returned said smile, his heart practically killed itself against his chest. What was happening to him? Why was he acting so strangely?

            The blond noticed the tiny girl’s shivers.

            “Are you okay, Himechhi?” Kise asked, concerned. Perhaps the red jacket wasn’t enough? “Here,” he motioned, taking his scarf off and wrapping it around her. “This way you’ll feel better.”

            She smiled softly, looking up at him, “Thank you.”

            _Himecchi is so small_ , he thought, before blushing. Quickly thinking, Kise covered the half bottom of his face with his forearm.

            “What happened, Kise-kun?” Tetsuhi asked, confused.

            He shook his head, refusing to show his red cheeks, “It’s nothing, Himecchi. Uh, I have a photo-shoot right now, so, uh, I need to go.”

            “Is that so?” The girl asked, trying not to show her disappointment. She had missed Kise’s behavior around their group of friends. Maybe it was for the best for him to go now, her music teacher would arrive at any time anyway.

            “Yep,” he stammered. “I just wanted to see you before that.”

            Kise turned around, walking to the door, for he was sure his face was getting redder and redder. Why was his heart racing when her eyes softened in disappointment? Two minutes later, he was out of her house – this time with an umbrella. The cold didn’t matter, not when his body felt like it was on fire.

            Why was he acting so strangely?

* * *

 

            “Sei-nii,” Tetsuhi greeted her brother with a smile. Their father passed beside her, briefly saying hello. She tried to ignore the hurt. “I missed you.”

            Seijūro smiled back, hugging her tinier body, “I was only gone for a day, but missed you too.”

            She buried her face in his chest, letting Seijūro put his chin over her hair.

            “Kise-kun came here today,” Tetsuhi commented.

            “Is that so?” She could see her brother’s surprised expression without looking up.

            The petite girl nodded, “Uh-hm. I don’t know why, though,” she yawned, feeling sleepy. She had been waiting for her brother and father to arrive, and it was way past midnight.

            Seijūro touched the scarf around her neck.

            “Whose scarf is this?” He wondered, almost sure of his mental guess.

            “Father’s,” Tetsuhi murmured sleepily and her brother softly laughed at her incapability to stay awake. He gathered her in his arms, carrying her princess style to their bedroom.

            “Why are you wearing Father’s scarf, though?”

            “Kise-kun came and,” one more yawn,” was wet from the earlier rain, so I borrowed some of Father’s clothes.” She paused, blinking and struggling to awake a few more minutes. “When Kise-kun saw me shivering, he gave me the scarf back.”

            “I’ll be sure to thank him later,” Seijūro promised, content that his sister had kept herself warmth. After all, Tokyo summers were hot as hell, but Tokyo winters were extremely the contrary.

* * *

 

            “ _Tetsu-chaaan_!” Tetsuhi felt someone hug her fiercely and, without looking, knew it was her best girl friend, Momoi Satsuki. The pink-haired girl had gone skiing with her family and hadn’t managed to meet the Akashi twins during the two weeks of recess. “I missed you so, so, so much!”

            “Geez, Satsuki, you’re gonna kill her if you keep hugging her this way,” Aomine said in his usual lazy drawl. He hadn’t changed anything, except maybe for his laziness – it had grown bigger.

            “It’s good to see you again, Satsuki-chan, Aomine-kun,” Tetsuhi greeted with a smile and immediately felt a hand ruffle her hair, effectively making a mess of it.

            “What did I tell you before we went on vacation? You can call me Daiki, baka. I’m your best friend, right?” Aomine grinned wolfishly. How he managed to be both lazy and cheerful at the same time Tetsuhi would never know.

            “Right. Sorry, Daiki-kun,” she said.

            “Where’s Akashi-kun, though?” Satsuki wondered, looking around the school entrance. “It’s not like him to leave you alone over here.”

            “He went searching Midorima-kun and Murasakibara-kun,” Tetsuhi explained. “Said there was something he wanted to say to us – oh, look, they’re coming here.”

            Indeed, the three players were walking in their direction.

            “Mu-kun, Midorin!” Satsuki shouted, waving her hand madly and attracting attention to their group.

            Midorima readjusted the glasses on his face, if only to hide his embarrassment.

            “Momoi-san,” he greeted, “cheerful as always.”

            “Don’t speak as if it’s a bad thing, Midorin, I missed you too!”

            Aomine guffawed. Tetsuhi turned around and smiled up at Murasakibara.

            “Good morning, Murasakibara-kun.”

            “Call me Atsushi, Hime-chin,” was his response.

            “Atsushi-kun,” Tetsuhi repeated dutifully. She turned to her brother, then. “What did you want to talk about, Onii-san? Classes are going to start soon.”

            Seijūro nodded in agreement, “I’ll be brief. Ryouta called me yesterday, saying that he wants to enter the basketball club once again.”

            The group of freshmen had different reactions. Midorima just _tsk’ed_ while Murasakibara kept eating, Aomine said “I thought he had never left,” and Momoi just squealed in contentment. Tetsuhi looked up at the blue sky.

            It was a beautiful day, even if so cold. The only thing that kept her from shivering was the yellow woolen scarf around her neck. It reminded her of Kise – it didn’t matter if the scarf had been her father’s before that.

            It was a good thing – Kise would be coming back to them.


	14. Don't Take Your Eyes Off the Ball

**Chapter 13: Don’t Take Your Eyes off the Ball**

* * *

**  
**

            “Waaah, Himecchi isn’t in my class!” was the first thing that Kise cried about this morning when the group arrived at the school board.

            It was spring once again, which meant that a new school year was starting and they’d be sorted into different classes.

            Tetsuhi, who was beside her brother holding his hand, deadpanned. The blond model was the same as always, even after spending two weeks working in Kyoto during their vacation.

            “Hime-chin,” Murasakibara patted her head and she was thankful that he didn’t use the hand full of grease from the chips, “Ryōta-chin isn’t happy to be in my class.”

            As Kise started to complain that he didn’t mean it this way, the now second-year girl wondered about their friendship. Their group had never been more together than after winter break when the blond came back to them. They started to call each other by their given names – even if Midorima had a _tsundere_ reaction every time some did so. Aomeni even learnt not to fear the older Akashi’s overprotective tendencies _too much_.

It was true that Haizaki still existed, but he rarely came to practice. So, while it wasn’t paradise, it wasn’t hell either. (For them, at least. The older Akashi always searched Haizaki like a wolf sniffing his prey. There was enough hell for the rebellious regular of their team.)

“I’m glad that they put us together, Tetsu-hime,” her brother commented besides her, pointing at 2-C class’s list.

Aomine snorted, “As if they would do so after the mayhem you created last year ‘cause of it.” Sure enough, the redhead captain had practically threatened the principal while smiling and sparkling that things would get ugly if his sister was away from him next term.

            _Akashi Tetsuhi_ was right below _Akashi Seijūro_ in the list. Of course.

            “Dai-chan, aren’t you happy that Tetsuhi-can is in the same class as us?” Momoi clapped her hands excitedly. Heir pink hair had grown since last year, when she decided to let it be this way for the girl admired Tetsuhi’s incredibly long hair. It now reached the middle of her back.

            Aomine yawned, “Whatever.”

            While Momoi argued with her childhood friend, Tetsuhi turned to Midorima, seeing his name in 2-E’s list. She frowned, looking up at her teammate, “Shintarō-kun, won’t you feel lonely?”

            Everybody stopped their own conversations, because the younger Akashi’s desolated expression was just too cute. It was like a lost puppy in the rain.

            “Soooo cute!” Kise exclaimed, running to hug her right before Seijūro pushed his sister out of the way. The blond splashed against the ground, moaning, “Meanie.”

            Midorima typically hid his red cheeks by adjusting his glasses (not that at this point his friends didn’t know why he did this). He cleared his throat, uncomfortable.

            “I’ll be fine away from all of your craziness,” he answered, not particularly to Tetsuhi.

            Momoi stomped her foot, “ _Mi-do-rin!_ Don’t be like that, you bully! Tell him, Dai-chan!”

            Aomine crossed his arms in annoyance. It was the first day of school and too early to try to make their ace useful.

            “Tell him yourself, woman.”

            Murasakibara opened a can of soda thoughtfully, “Ne, Shintarō-chin, weren’t you the one singing _I Will Always Love You_ like there was no tomorrow last week, at the karaoke?”

            Seijūro laughed lightly, masterly ignoring Kise’s cry of “You went to karaoke without me!”, and said, “That’s one good point, Atsushi. It appears that you are as mad as us, Shintarō.”

            The green-haired boy said nothing more than “I’ll be going to class now” and walked away while his pride was still intact. Tetsuhi laughed behind her tiny hand, incapable of holding it in.

* * *

 

            _It’s just you and I_ , Tetsuhi thought, glaring with all her might.

            At a shoes locker.

            More specifically, _her_ shoes locker.

Which certainly hadn’t shrunk during vacation – unfortunately so.

            _Oh, come on_ , she whined mentally, very aware of the fact that whining out loud wasn’t very Akashi-like. Her lips twisted into a scowl and she looked up. Why couldn’t she grow taller? Tetsuhi _had grown…_ two centimeters. At least she reached the 150 centimeters now.

            Was it really necessary for her shoes locker to be one of the highest ones? Someone must be laughing right now – and she’d be late for class.

            “Here,” a person – as usual – grabbed her indoor shoes for her. The rubber’s color indicated her year.

            Tetsuhi turned around, promptly thanking her customary savior, “Thank you, Shintarō-kun. I thought you had gone to class already, though.”

            The green-haired boy looked away.

            “Idiot, it’s not as if I knew you’d need help or anything,” he mumbled, before clearing his throat. “Anyway, until lunch, Tetsuhi-san,” Midorima waved goodbye. It was still weird calling his friends – especially the girls – by their given names, but everybody did so and he certainly wasn’t going to be the one to break the dynamics of their group.

            “Ja ne,” the petite girl smiled at her tsundere friend, waving.

* * *

 

            “Ryōta-kun, I told you to never take your eyes off the ball,” Tetsuhi warned, seeing as said boy had it stolen from him. Once again, the blond lost his daily one-on-one against Aomine.

            Kise practically deflated, “But Himecchi, I did _not!”_

            Tetsuhi propped the orange ball against her hip and turned to Aomine’s direction, calmly instructing him to go back to the others regulars. The ace nodded and started doing their usual hellish regimen. Ever since the youngest Akashi had been made vice-captain during mid-April, the regulars were sure to act like trained dogs afraid of their owner – after all, one Akashi in charge of them was bad enough, but two? Holy Christ.

            Finally, the blue-haired girl paid attention to her pouting teammate.

            “Ryōta-kun, I’m aware of the fact that you unconsciously start to observe your opponent’s movements, given your ability to copy others. However, while it _is_ very important to analyze, it’s also very important to _not take your eyes of the ball_ ,” at the end, she all but growled. The blond winced – his instructor was scary.

            “But Himecchi, last year you told me that by looking at my opponent, I can predict the ball’s path,” he whined, a little bit confused. “Why does it matter so much?”

            Tetsuhi sighed. She lifted her right hand, indicating that the girl wanted the ball. Kise passed it to her, still unsure. The petite Akashi started dribbling it and mentioned for him to try and steal it.

            Due to Kise’s ability to copy others, he had good eye-to-hand coordination as well as keen eyes, perfect to detect flaws in his opponents’ stances. Not in a freakish level such as Tetsuhi (who based one her play style entirely on observation) or Seijūro (enough said), but good at it nonetheless. So, when the blond approached his much smaller teammate, he noticed the way her knees bended slightly, her upper-body leaned a little forward and her right foot pivoted in the same direction, as if ready to run around him and score a basket.

            None of this happened, however, when he extended his hand and tried to beat the ball out of her hands, even going as far as to step towards his left side, planning to block her right-sided attack. What _did occur_ was her body doing a complete 360º toward her left and easily, gracefully escaping his mark and shooting the ball to the basket, said object flying from the very tips of her fingers as if it was a bird being released from its cage.

            Kise stood in the middle of the court, stunned.

            “That,” Tetsuhi explained, while unhurriedly walking to the rolling ball at the end of the court, “is called a fake. It’s common in basketball, so I’m surprised you haven’t encountered it yet.”

            Kise shook his head almost frantically, “No, you’re wrong. I-I’ve seen it, even used it before. But none of them looked so…” He trailed off, not certain of how to continue.

_None of them looked so perfect._

            “That’s because the fakes you’ve seen before were made with the eyes or just one part of the person’s body. A full-fake includes how your limbs position themselves, the way your eyes move, and even the way your breath comes from your mouth. Everything I did indicated that I was going to run to my right, so when I simply pivoted and went to the left, you were startled.”

            Kise looked hopelessly at her, “But if it’s so perfect, how can I counter it?”

            Tetsuhi’s lips turned a little up, seeing his desperation.

            “There’s no need to worry. Most players can’t make a decent full-fake and the one who can, well, there’s a really simple way to counter-attack it.”

            Kise came closer to his instructor, puppy-eyes in full effect.

            “Himecchi, what is it? Tell me, tell me!”

            She raised her index finger, absent-mindedly spinning the basketball on it, “You never take your eyes off the ball, that’s what you do.”

            “Ehh?”

            “Even harder than doing an effective full-fake, is faking the way you dribble the ball. Most people can’t say the path their opponents are going because they can’t distinguish the way their enemy is dribbling a ball.” To demonstrate, Tetsuhi let the orange orb fall from her fingers to the ground, tapping it softly. “When someone runs forward, they use the tip of their fingers, very gently, like this. When the go backward, though,” she change her stance,” they dribble from the middle to the tip of their fingers, this way. And when they rarely go sideways, they use the thumb to control the position.”

            Kise was rendered speechless. Not because his instructor had spoken so much in one go – in fact, during their now biweekly training, it wasn’t unusual of her to do so, since the girl was teaching. No, he couldn’t speak for he couldn’t believe someone paid so much attention to so little details during a high-paced game. How could she tell? How could she even acknowledge this possibility of playing? Was this applied from her solo style, the one he had seen only once?

            Tetsuhi gave him the ball.

            “Of course, I cannot expect you to be able to do this now. It requires training and time, but the principle of this is _to never take your eyes of the ball_ ,” she repeated, and now Kise could understand why her voice sounded different when the small girl spoke these words. They were the key to a bid advantage against the opponent.

           Kise’s eyes started sparkling, “Himecchi, you’re so awesome! Teach me, teach me, teach, _pleeease_!”

            The blue-haired girl giggled. She shook her head, “It’s not something I can teach you per se, you have to learn to do it yourself. As time goes on, you get used to paying attention to these details.”

            Kise frowned, a doubt appearing in his mind.

            “Ne, Himecchi, if there’s such an amazing technique to counter the adversary, why don’t you point it out to our teammates too? Why only me?” he asked.

            Tetsuhi’s round blue eyes sharpened.

            “Because they wouldn’t bother learning it.”

            “Huh?”

            She sighed, “Frankly speaking, Daiki-kun doesn’t need to learn it. He has something just as strong – instinct, if you may call it. He can practically sense what his opponent is going to do and, either way, he’s not patient enough to learn it. Atsushi-kun is comfortable in defense and doesn’t care much about attack, simply weaving his way through the court with his height,” she shrugged. “Shintarō-kun is too busy trying to increase the height of his shots and Haizaki-kun, “the blond made a sour face at the mention of his most hated rival,” never comes to practice.”

            Kise nodded, comprehending. He didn’t bother asking about her brother, since he speculated the red-haired captain was already aware of this teaching.

            Tetsuhi patted his arm, “Let’s go. The rest of your training today can be done with the rest of the regulars.”

            “Is that so? Yay!”

            The petite girl smiled softly. It was good to have her enthusiastic student back.

* * *

 

            It was during lunch time the very next day that Aomine finally lost his patience.

            “That’s it!” He uttered when Haizaki stole an onigiri from Tetsuhi’s bento for the third time this week. “Go buy your own food, damn it!”

            The silver-haired boy arched one eyebrow up, looking cynical, “Why, though, when itty bitty Akashi has a very delicious lunch right here?”

            “You’re lucky Seijūro is busy in a meeting with coach,” Midorima commented, lifting his eyes from his own bento. “Otherwise, you’d be nursing a cut on your cheek right now.”

            “Or even worse,” Momoi agreed, sounding almost gleeful.

            The team’s current small forward snorted, “I’m not afraid of Akashi.”

            “You should be, though,” Murasakibara offered his piece of though, munching on noodles. “Sei-chin can be scary. Ne, Shinta-chin, can you give me your octopus?”

            The green-haired boy adjusted his glasses, “I don’t mind.” He was too used to his teammates’ nicknames for the others to care about how he was called at this point.

            Aomine practically spit fire when the Haizaki stole one of Tetsuhi’s steamed pork buns, before walking away laughing.

            “Tetsu, why don’t you reprehend him for stealing you food?” The dark-haired ace couldn’t believe how the girl kept so calm during these moments.

            The blue-haired girl looked up, swallowing and then answering, “I don’t mind. The maids pack too much anyway.”

            Aomine crossed his arms over his chest, sitting down once again.

            “It’s not about what you can eat, but about you cannot let _him_ eat,” he explained, as if it made the utmost sense. Seeing that the girl wasn’t even listening to him anymore, the ace of the team deflated. “Where’s Kise, by the way?”

            Momoi – always the stalker – was the one who replied, “His manager called him ten minutes ago. Apparently, the photo shoot that he had later on today has to be done earlier.”

            The pink-haired manager masterfully ignored her childhood friend murmuring “Freak Satsuki” under his breath. If she hadn’t, the boy wouldn’t breathe at all anymore.

            Tetsuhi smiled behind her last onigiri.

            So much for the start of a new school year.


End file.
